The Line
by jojoDO
Summary: Shaheen's road splits two ways: one leads to vengeance, the other to forgiveness. Unfortunately, Lucky Chloe is taking him on a little detour. SHAHEEN X LUCKY CHLOE
1. Chapter 1

Shaheen had never requested leave before yesterday.

Surprisingly, his wish was granted, and now here he resides in the bustling city of Dubai, one of the most expensive cities in the world. Under any normal circumstances, it would no doubt be an exhilarating visit from start to finish for the hardened military operative who definitely looked like he needed to get away from it all.

Unfortunately for Shaheen, his business was never done.

Shaheen coughed a few times, tightening the red checkered shemagh around his mouth to avoid the bombardment of sand in the air. But even after hiding his stone expression, which repelled any positive vibes, Shaheen still didn't have the look of an approachable person. Perhaps it was his large frame and military uniform; perhaps it was the razor sharp scimitar around his waist. Or maybe... just the very air that surrounds him reeked of a dangerous man. If only these people weren't shallow enough to judge a book by its cover, maybe they'd approach Shaheen and realize that he's actually a gentle, peace loving soul.

Of course, Shaheen wasn't giving off peaceful vibes anytime soon. While it was true that he disliked violence, it would soon become unavoidable once he executed his personal mission: revenge. Revenge against the man he had reason to believe was responsible for the bloodshed... the man who had a demon trapped inside his black, frozen soul.

Kazuya Mishima.

Just the thought of him sent immoral thoughts into Shaheen's head. His fingers instinctively clutched tighter against his shemagh, so tight that the veins could be seen protruding from the back of his hand. He didn't have any solid evidence yet; all he knew was that as soon as his good friend the Oil Tycoon was murdered, G Corporation quickly purchased his company and gave all of his family members a pink slip. The official report was that they retired, but when dealing with someone as ruthless as Kazuya Mishima... retiring could mean something much worse.

Shaheen's eyes grew bloodshot, and not from the sand. His mind was so plagued with dark thoughts he almost forgot where he was. It was like a tumor: a violent, bloody tumor growing in his mind, egging him on... commanding him to seek the ultimate justice in the name of the fallen.

And then... his train of thought was broken.

"What is that noise... music?"

With every step he took, the music grew more prominent. It was like some kind of club music, with that annoying constant beating sound. THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP... like someone banging on a door. It wasn't really Shaheen's type; he much preferred a good old fashioned sitar.

As Shaheen grew closer to the square, it was increasingly obvious that there was some type of performance going on. It looked like a lot of people... but the gate was shut so he couldn't get in. All he could do was grab onto the wall and lift himself up, getting a glance over to see what was going on.

There was naught but one girl on stage, wearing a microphone headset and singing in what seemed to be Japanese. The girl definitely didn't look Japanese, though; her blonde hair made her look more like an American or perhaps European. Her strange kitty costume definitely had a bit of a Japanese air about it, though.

Shaheen watched carefully as there was a break in the weird, thumping, beeping, electronic song. The cat girl stopped singing and began to show off her other talent, which appeared to be breakdancing. She spun around and flipped in all directions, her little black kitty tail attached to her dress swinging around wildly. Shaheen was nearly mesmerized by her rapid movements; could a human being really move like that?! She was more like some kind of wild animal hopped up on energy drinks!

Finally, the chorus line came once again and the cat girl started singing once again. Her voice, high pitched thought it was, was actually pretty good. Shaheen could tell she was singing naturally, and not using that awful auto-tune like many pop singers used.

With one last high note, held to perfection, the electronic pop song ended and the crowd erupted with applause.

"THANK YOU DUBAAAAAI! I WILL TOTALLY BE HERE ALL WEEK, NYA~!"

The cheerful cat girl was all smiles as she paced back and forth on the stage, both her fluffy white kitty paws waving in the air as cameras flashed rampantly like a volley of machine guns. Finally, after a minute of posing for cameras, the girl finally got off stage and security surrounded her.

"Guess that's over..." Shaheen muttered. With a shrug, he went back to his business. The deep, growing thoughts of revenge began to return when suddenly, the gate doors flew open and out marched the cat girl, surrounded by security.

"Back! Everyone, get back! H-hey, cover left!" the man in a black suit shouted to his subordinate.

"Thank you all, nya~! I love all my adoring fans! Buuut I gotta go now, nya~! I'm tired!" the girl squealed, still waving.

The cheerful cat girl didn't seem the least bit worried that her security was lacking and she was slowly getting surrounded by the crowd. If she WAS worried, she was going a good job of hiding it behind that ridiculous smile that never seemed to fade.

It wasn't until one broke through that her happy shell was finally cracked and replaced with fear.

"CHLOE, BE MIIIIIIINE!" the crazy fan shouted as he plowed into the men in black, his tongue flailing as he tried to get a smooch off the pop singer.

"EWWWWW! S-SECURITY! NYAAAA!"

But it was too late; Chloe didn't make it to her cab in time before security was overrun by crazy fans trying to get a touch of the popular singer. To make matters worse, many of her fans seemed to be creepy middle aged guys that probably liked looking at hentai.

"Ohhhh boy... This is not good... nya."

Chloe backed away in fear, the lusty crowd getting closer and closer to their now unprotected target. She put her hands up, preparing to fight them off one by one if need be. There was no way she could take them all though...

Shaheen felt his military instincts kicking in as he sprinted towards the crowd, his shemagh nearly blown away by his blinding speed. He approached the cat girl from behind and shoved her aside, away from the crowd.

"W-WAAAH!"

Shaheen leaped high in the air and came down on the instigator of the riot like a missile, his hand grabbing the man's face and squeezing tight. His momentum and body weight easily knocked the man to the ground, making him impact hard enough that he wouldn't be getting back up.

Shaheen kept his hand on the man's face to stifle his breathing. He pressed his knee against the man's torso to pin him and then drew his scimitar, brandishing it towards the crowd.

"Back! Get the hell back! NOW!"

Shaheen held them all there long enough for the security guards to regain their composure and arrest the man that had escalated things. While they tended to the situation, Shaheen approached the pop singer and extended a hand to help her up.

"I'm sorry for pushing you."

Chloe looked at him meanly for a second as she dusted off her costume. "Hmph! I hope you're paying for my laundry, nya! Argh, sand sand sand everywhere!"

Chloe finally accepted his hand, surprised at Shaheen's strength nearly lifting her off her feet. When she was back on her feet, she dusted herself off a bit more and then looked into the eyes of her rescuer. She had to admit, he was pretty handsome with his brown stubble and chiseled face.

"What's your name, nya?"

Shaheen adjusted his shemagh a bit as he gave the slightest of nods. "Shaheen. And you?"

"My name is..."

She drew back a bit, as if preparing to unleash some big explosion. And she did just that.

"LUUUUCKYYYYYYYYYYY CHLOEEEEEEEEEE~!"

Shaheen felt himself recoiling ever so slightly at the boisterous girl's loud words. "Lucky... Chloe? Is that your pop singer name?"

"That's my name, nya~!"

"I see... and your theme is cats?"

"Tch, well duuuuh! What do you think I'm wearing, nya~?"

Shaheen took a moment to examine just how cat-themed her attire was. Her pink and black dress, black stockings, and pink shoes weren't very catlike, but the rest of her was. Her pink headphones adorned on her head had big kitty ears on them. That strange jacket she wore was less of a jacket and more a pair of big, poofy white arms with pink paws on the end. And of course, there was the fake black tail sticking out of the back of her dress to complete the image.

"Ummmm... why are you staring at me, nya?"

Shaheen shook his head a few times, not realizing that half a minute had passed. "Sorry. So tell me... can you hear with those things on your head?"

"Heh, as long as I don't have music playing, nya~"

"Hmph..."

Their conversation was cut short when the men in black finally approached Chloe, getting in front of her and blocking Shaheen.

"H-hey! I was talking to him! Nya!"

"Miss Chloe, let's get out of here." one of the men said.

"Thank you for your help, but we'll take over from here." another man said, extending his hand to Shaheen. He didn't look too happy, though; probably because he was a total failure who got shown up by a passing stranger.

Shaheen started to shake his hand when suddenly Chloe pushed back through them.

"Actually, you're all fired."

"W-WHAT?! FIRED?!"

"Uhh, yeah! You totally let a crowd of psycho fans get to me, nya. What good are you guys?!"

Shaheen tensed up when he suddenly felt Chloe's arms wrap around his left arm and hold tight.

"This man's my bodyguard now, nya. All of you, scram!"

"B-b-but..."

"SCRAM!"

"D-do we still get paid for the week-"

"NYAAAAAAAAA!"

The men all threw their hands up in annoyance and stormed off, leaving the two of them alone once again. When they were finally out of sight, Shaheen pried Chloe loose and distanced himself.

"What have you done, you idiot girl? You just fired all of your security, and for what?"

Chloe played with her ears as she flashed a cute little grin. "I told you, nya! I don't need those idiots when I have you, nya~"

"Just because I saved you doesn't mean... look, I don't have time to be your bodyguard."

"Why not, nya~?"

"I'm on a very important mission."

"Really? For who?"

"For myself."

"Hmmmm... interesting. Well then... I have a question for you."

Shaheen grew concerned when the cheery expression on Chloe's face suddenly became an intense, almost bloodthirsty expression. Her teal eyes squinted, her bright pink glossy lips curled into a snarl. She approached Shaheen menacingly, like a panther preparing to strike.

"Tell me..." she said sternly, "...do you work for the Mishima Zaibatsu?"

Shaheen stared into her bright teal orbs, which contained a much different disposition than the sunny one he had been exposed to for the past few minutes. It was almost as if she was prepared to kill him if he gave the wrong answer. But the big question was... what IS the wrong answer?

Shaheen knew no other solution but honesty.

"Of course not. I work for a private military group stationed in Saudi Arabia. That's all I'm at liberty to say."

Chloe stared him down for a second, her face still not changing from its current expression that could probably make babies cry. She put her kitty paw to her chin and nodded very slowly... as if she was acknowledging something. Maybe Shaheen had already said to much...?

And then, as quickly as it came, Chloe's intense face left and was once again wrought with cheerfulness.

"Coolio! Let's take my cab, nya~!"

Shaheen raised an eyebrow. "Wait, that's it?"

"Yeah! As long as you don't work for the Zaibatsu, we can be partners, nya~!"

"Partners? I don't believe you heard me the first time, but I am currently on an assignment-"

"Just come with me, please! I owe you for rescuing me, so consider yourself hired, nya~!"

"How is making me work for you repaying the favor?! I... hey, where are you going?! Strange girl..."

Shaheen found himself in a hard place; he could just walk away, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to leave the harmless-looking girl unprotected. But still, this was getting in the way of his assignment... he had to find a way to ditch her at the first opportunity. Maybe escort her to her hotel? Yeah, that would be noble enough. Leave the annoying girl safe in her hotel and get the hell out. Shaheen was starting to regret being such a chivalrous guy...

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2

**I failed to mention this in the first chapter, but this fic goes out to a buddy of mine. DaMastah101, who updates his fics every millenia. Enjoy, buddy!**

Out of the multitude of questions swarming around Shaheen's unresting mind, one stood out most prominently... why? Why, during the one and only time Shaheen requested leave, did fate have to play him this cruel hand and litter his pathway to justice with small, cat-like obstacles? If life was ever unfair, this was a pretty good instance. Right now, he was wasting precious time: time that could've been used to get one step closer to avenging the death of his best friend.

"Whew! Crank up the AC, I'm dying back here!" Lucky Chloe whined. She took off her cat ear headphones, followed by her poofy kitty arms jacket, then let out a huge sigh as she tugged at her dress in an attempt to get some semblance of relief.

"Wheeew! I hate it out here, nya!"

"Then why did you come here?" Shaheen asked. He was sitting as close to the other side as possible, his arms folded and a happy expression nowhere in sight.

Lucky Chloe lunged forward, her nose inches away from touching his. Shaheen felt the slightest of heat build up in his chest from the sudden close proximity.

"Becaaaaaause I work for a living! I'm a pop star! And not just any pop star: the cutest, most talented, most adorable pop star in the world, nya! That's why I'm taking the Lucky Chloe World Tour, going from country to country and letting everybody hear my lovely, angelic voice, nya~!"

Shaheen looked away and scoffed. "Hmph... how hard you must have it."

Chloe grinned cutely and poked him in the cheek. "Are you MOCKING me? Because I tend to break bones when people get smart with Chloe, nya~"

"Look, I don't mean to be rude. I apologize if I've offended you. But you and I are living in two entirely different worlds. We have different ambitions, different goals to achieve. It's impossible for me to understand you, and it's impossible for you to understand me."

"...Then why did you rescue me?"

Shaheen looked over and noticed that Chloe was no longer her usual, cheery self. Her face was wearing a new expression: sadness. Something Shaheen said must have rubbed her the wrong way...

"...What do you mean?"

Chloe looked away, folding her arms. "If I'm just some dumb pop star that you don't care about, then why'd you stick your neck out for me?"

"B-because I...urrrgh!"

Shaheen angrily rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out this damned girl who spontaneously switched emotions like a chameleon changed color. His goal was to have her happy by the end of this car ride, so they could part from each other's lives on good terms. Obviously, he wasn't doing a very good job...

Shaheen was so busy in the recesses of his mind that his instincts were sloppy; he allowed an assailant to get the jump on him... that assailant being Lucky Chloe throwing her arms around him and squeezing tight.

"JUST KIDDING~! NYA~!"

Shaheen tensed up; his first instinct was to draw his sword, but he remembered he was just dealing with an overly hyper pop singer. He sharply exhaled, trying to calm his nerves and deal with the situation appropriately.

"Please... get off of me..."

Lucky Chloe only giggled at his request. "I know the reason you rescued me is because you're a big, fluffy sweetie pie~"

Shaheen grunted in annoyance. "I rescued you because it was the right thing to do! It has nothing to do with me being-"

"A good person?"

An uncomfortable silence was shared between them at that moment. Shaheen's eyes darted around in all directions, trying to avoid the giant teal orbs staring into his soul. Shaheen didn't know how to respond; all he could do was sit there and beg for Chloe to break the awkwardness of the moment like she seemed to be so good at.

Finally, she spoke.

"What, did I say something wrong?"

Shaheen rubbed his head nonchalantly. "No, it's just... I don't know how to respond."

"You don't think you're a good person? Well I do."

Shaheen looked at her finally. "You're just saying that because I rescued you. If you knew what my current mission was, you'd-"

"WE'RE HERE! WOOOO~!"

Shaheen was caught between relief and annoyance, but relief tipped the scales as he was just thankful to finally be free from this big ball of energy in a small package.

...Or so he thought.

"Hey! After I take a bath, you wanna go get something to eat?"

That's where Shaheen drew the line.

"NO!"

Chloe's face once again curled to sadness. "B-but... nya..."

Shaheen sighed and looked at her, not wanting to crush her happiness. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sure you're an extremely fun person to spend time with, but... I have to get back to business."

"But we were just getting to know each other, nya!"

Shaheen turned around and started to walk off. "Our journey together is over."

"Sheesh, can't you at least have one lousy lunch with me? It's just to repay you for saving me! I'll pay for it, nya!"

Before going any further, Shaheen decided to at least stop and think about it for a second. He mulled over the pros and cons in his head: on the plus side, he needed food to keep up his strength and this girl would pay for it all. Plus, if he entertained her now, then she would be content and they could finally part ways. On the down side, it would waste precious time he could spend investigating the G Corporation.

3 to 1... the pros outweigh the cons.

Shaheen turned back around. "Very well then. I'll have lunch with you."

"WHEEEEE THANK YOU, NYA~!"

Chloe extended her arm, as if waiting for Shaheen to link his with hers. "Well?"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and his lips curled upwards with the slightest of smiles. He walked back over there and threw his arm around Chloe's, and his bodyguard detail continued. He simply couldn't escape his nagging chivalrous instincts.

 **HOTEL ROOM, TOP SUITE**

When Chloe went on tour, she went in style. The hotel she was staying at rivaled The Four Seasons in luxury. And of course, a star of her caliber had to get a suite on the very top floor.

"Ahhhhh my beautiful suite! Nya~!"

As soon as Chloe ran inside, she threw her jacket and cat ear headphones on the soft mattress and dived on top of it. The room echoed with her giggles as she bounced on top of it like an irresponsible child.

"Woooo! My soft bed~!"

Shaheen was more fascinated with the view: From the window, he could see most of the city! If that wasn't breathtaking enough, the view of the resort was simply stunning, from the large blue pools to the sea of green provided by the trees. On Shaheen's salary, he never would have imagined he could step foot in a place like this.

"You wanna feel the bed?"

Shaheen was so awestruck he hadn't heard Chloe.

"Yoooohooooo! HEY!"

Shaheen jumped slightly and turned, looking at Chloe's cute, grinning face. She was spread out like making a snow angel, her golden locks in a puddle all around her from where she had undid her pigtails.

"I said, do you wanna feel the bed?" she asked, sitting back up and looking at Shaheen. With her hair down like that... she looked kind of beautiful. Her golden mane really emphasized the beauty of her bright teal eyes.

Shaheen twitched as he felt the slightest of warmth pass over his cheeks. "That's quite alright."

"Cmoooon, take a load off! It's a big bed, nya~! There's plenty of room right over here!"

Shaheen stared at the empty space Chloe patted on the king sized bed. As awkward as it was to be laying next to Chloe... that bed looked so good. Shaheen was hot, tired, stressed... nothing sounded better at this moment than his body making contact with that oversized mattress. He would just lay a few feet away from her...

Shaheen took off his shemagh, followed by his black agal, and tossed them aside. He fumbled with his short, dark hair, feeling it free from the confinement of his hat for the first time today.

With a deep breath, he nervously sat down on the edge of the bed and stayed there for a second. While this was supposed to be comfortable, he felt like he was being taken OUT of his comfort zone.

"Cmon, you big baby! The bed's big enough for five people, nya!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and finally laid backwards, his head making contact with the soft mattress. His entire body felt like it was on a cloud; it was the softest bed he had ever been on! It was getting harder to maintain his composure; right now, he wanted to let out the most uncharacteristic of groans of pleasure.

"There. I told you it was a big awesome bed, nya~"

Shaheen laid there, Lucky Chloe a few feet to his right, and the two just stared at the ceiling for a while. There were no words at first, just their gentle breathing as the air conditioning cooled them down and the soft bed relieved their tension. As awkward as the moment was... it was surprisingly soothing.

Not wanting to be rude, Shaheen decided to strike up a conversation.

"How are you affording all this?"

Chloe turned her head and grinned. "Well, here's a secret... I'm not~!"

"Hmm?"

"All my expenses are paid for by my managers, nya~"

"You have a manager? Then why are you by yourself?"

"Because I manage myself, nya. It's just me!"

"I don't understand."

"It's complicated, nya. Let's just say I work for a certain business and they pay me to go perform all over the world. I'm kinda their brand, nya."

"Hm, so they cover your expenses and send you all over the world with a few paltry security guards. Sounds like a great job."

"Hey, I can take care of myself, nya~!"

"If you could, then I wouldn't be here right now."

"Tee hee, fair enough~!"

There were a few moments of silence between them before the baton was passed to Chloe to initiate a conversation.

"Are you a hired killer?"

That one startled Shaheen a bit. "Huh?!"

"You said you work for a private military, right? Does that mean you kill people?"

"N-no! I... prefer not to. The military I work for specializes in security services."

"Ooooh... so you're a professional bodyguard? No wonder you were so much better than my half-assed security guards, nya~!"

Shaheen smiled for the slightest of moments before his face turned the opposite direction.

"But I'm afraid that soon... I will have to do something I'm not proud of."

Chloe rolled over on her side, propping her head up with her hand, and looked into Shaheen's eyes.

"What do you mean, nya?"

Shaheen continued to stare at the ceiling. "I use my skills to protect. But soon... I will use them for vengeance."

"Huuuh? You gonna kill somebody, nya? Oh wowie! I'm sorry, I don't mean to be annoying it just happens naturally and I-"

"Relax, I would never hurt you. There's only one person who will feel the fury of my wrath."

"Oh..."

"But let's not talk about that now. To be honest, I still... I still need time to think about whether I will go through with it."

With those words, Shaheen rolled over until his back was facing Chloe. Chloe's response was to scoot a little bit closer to him, close enough that she could extend her arms and touch his back.

"Well, if you need time to think about it... then you have time to hang out with me~!"

Shaheen would normally be bothered by Chloe's touch, but honestly... he didn't care at the moment. He felt a certain calmness just laying here, sharing his feelings with a complete stranger he had only met in the past hour. Like the bed, it was surprisingly soothing.

"I just don't know what to do. I don't know for sure who it was, but... I have a very strong idea."

"Of what?"

"Of who killed... my best friend."

"Awwww...I'm so sorry..."

Chloe scooted a bit closer to Shaheen and draped her arms over him, placing her chin on his shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't even have a best friend!"

Shaheen finally rolled back over to his previous position: on his back and staring at the ceiling. Chloe laid back down beside him, albeit a bit closer this time.

"But surely you have millions of people who adore you. Me... I don't make many friends in my career. It seems like most people take a look at me and immediately assume I'm a dangerous person. They cower in fear before they've even talked to me."

"Heh, well not in North America I don't. They hate me over there, nya~!"

Lucky Chloe giggled after saying that, trying to lighten the mood. But when she saw Shaheen's face unchanging, she knew that he wasn't quite out of his funk yet. She straightened back up her face before continuing:

"I don't have friends either. All those people who watch me perform, they're not REAL friends. Sure it feels good to be adored by fans, but I'd rather have just someone I can chill and talk with. Like you~"

Shaheen tensed up when he suddenly felt her hand touch his. She leaned in closer, near his ear:

"Oh,and just for the record... I don't think you're scary at all. I think you're great~"

Those words warmed Shaheen's chest a little. He looked at Chloe, who was staring back just as deep. Suddenly he was starting to feel like maybe he had misjudged her. Whatever their current circumstances were... sitting here talking to her wasn't a bad feeling at all. The tiny amount of time they had spent laying here, just chatting about their life problems, Shaheen could feel his raging thunderstorm of emotions subsiding, and mellowing out. Now, he wasn't desperate to get away from this strange girl like he had been just a while ago. Maybe she was helping him more than he could imagine...

"Forgive me if I've treated you harshly." Shaheen said with a nod. "If you want to get something to eat, I'll gladly go with you."

"Really?!"

The pent up smile finally broke free on Chloe's face as the corners of her mouth soared to new heights.

"Thank youuuuuuu! Nyaaaaa~!"

Seeing her so enthusiastic about him eating with her made Shaheen unable to hide the smile pushing upwards.

She leaped off the bed, quickly donning her cat ears and poofy cat jacket before twirling like a ballerina and shooting eyes at Shaheen.

"Cmoooon! I'm starving, nya~!"

Shaheen gave a good-natured sigh. "Very well then."

He got off the bed, donning his hat and cape, and the two walked hand-in-hand out of the hotel room. Figuring he wouldn't need it, he left his scimitar laying in the corner.


	3. Chapter 3

"TAXI, NYA!"

Shaheen's mind was busy as ever while his new acquaintance Lucky Chloe flagged down a cab to take them out to eat. He was already planning his next move, when he would finally be on his own again after having lunch with the girl he rescued from a crazy mob. While he had warmed up to Lucky Chloe in their short time together, Shaheen realized all to well that he had to get back to his mission. Since there seemed to be no presence of G Corporation in Dubai, his only next move could be... to board a flight. He would head straight to Japan: where the Millennium Tower resided. If he had to, he would fight his way to the top just to look Kazuya Mishima in his hellish eyes...

"Yooohooo! I said cmon!"

Shaheen snapped out of it when he felt Chloe poking his side. He looked down, and her goofy grin immediately snapped him out of his funk.

"I got us a cab, nya! Stop standing there looking like a baseball pitcher and let's go eat!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and the slightest of grins found its way on his lips. "Come on, then."

He opened the door for Chloe, who eagerly crawled inside and flailed her legs in anticipation.

"WOOOO I'M STARVIIIIIING! NYAAAA~!"

Shaheen got in on the left side, shut the door, and the vehicle took off.

"Sooo... where am I taking you?" the driver asked.

"Uhhh... we haven't gotten that far, nya." Chloe responded with a shrug.

"Well you have to tell me somewhere."

"Just freaking drive around a while! I've got plenty of money, nya!"

The driver rolled his eyes and just drove onward, leaving Chloe and Shaheen to just sit in the back and make things up as they go along.

"So? What are you up for, nya? Asian? Indian?" Chloe stared at Shaheen, her eyes wide and eager.

Shaheen put his hand to his chin. "Hmm... why should I decide?"

"Becaaaaause you're the big hero of the daaaay! Nyaaaaa~" Lucky Chloe exclaimed wildly, but she got a little too excited and fell over against Shaheen's shoulder.

Shaheen sighed and the corner of his mouth curved upwards ever so subtly. "Very well then... but perhaps we'll skip dessert."

Chloe put her chin on Shaheen's shoulder and pouted. "Hmmph! What are you implying, hmmmm~?"

Shaheen scoffed and gently removed her from his being. "You know exactly what I mean, you big ball of energy."

With a wink, Lucky Chloe scooted back to her side while Shaheen struck up a question out of curiosity.

"So tell me... are you ever not... like that?"

Chloe looked back at him. "Like what?"

"Like... the way you act. You know, always so spontaneous and happy, and-"

"Well what about you? Do you ever not act like you've got something stuffed where the sun don't shine?" Chloe retorted, folding her arms. Her smile was gone now.

Shaheen quickly looked away. "Th-that's different! I have a reason for acting this way!"

Lucky Chloe crossed her legs and winked. "Well there you go. You have your reason, and I have my reason. Now then... WHERE ARE WE EATING, NYA?!"

Shaheen looked down at his feet, his face devoid of any positive emotions. "...somewhere with alcohol."

The rest of the car ride was silent, except for Chloe finally deciding they were going out for Indian. Shaheen was a little bummed out since the memories came flooding back: heading down to autopsy, seeing the bag unzipped, and looking at the pale white skin of his best friend's corpse. That memory would haunt him for a long time... maybe he would never be happy again after seeing that. Even if the G Corporation suddenly went bankrupt and Kazuya Mishima died... would that even appease him?

"We're here!" Lucky Chloe exclaimed. She turned to poke Shaheen, but she noticed he was wearing that same face from earlier. And all of a sudden... SHE felt like not smiling either. Like a contagion, Shaheen's sorrow was spreading to her and making her lips curve downwards.

"Um... c-can we please go inside? Please?"

Shaheen finally snapped out of his funk when he saw Chloe's face no longer glowing like it normally did. He did his best to work up a small smile, then opened his door.

"Come on. Let's have a good afternoon."

That perked Chloe back up. "Kaaaaay~!"

The two of them managed to get a table relatively quick, considering the place was freakin packed! Shaheen was unsure of the quality of this restaraunt Chloe had chosen, but he was starving so he had no choice but to just go with the flow.

"I'm so excited! Ooooh I've never had Indian food before, nya~" Chloe exclaimed, eagerly reading her menu. Hmmm lamb... I don't think I could eat such a cute animal... then again it's already dead, nya. Oh, garlic naan! No wait, that gives you bad breath. Bad breath is a turnoff, nya. Whatcha gonna eat?"

About the time Chloe asked that, the waitress appeared with her notepad already brandished.

"Hiiii! Can I get you a drink or some appetizers?"

"Just a soda for me, nya. What about you, Shaheen?"

"I'll take one of these beers." Shaheen requested, pointing at the designated item on the menu. The waitress wrote it down and flashed a smile.

"Okay! I'll be back with your drinks soon!"

The waitress left, leaving the two of them sitting there. Now came that awkward waiting phase, where a conversation had to be brewed just to alleviate the moment.

Luckily, Chloe always had a conversation or two up her sleeve.

"Do you like being out like this?"

Shaheen took his eyes off of his menu and looked at Chloe, who was staring back at him.

"What do you mean? Out with someone else?"

"Well yeah! Do you like going out on... dates and stuff?"

Shaheen looked back down at his menu. "...I'm far too busy for that stuff."

"Awww... it sounds like you work too much." Chloe responded. "You know, I work a lot too. Sometimes, being around work all the time drives me crazy!"

She leaned in close. "Between you and me... this world tour thing? Getting my face out there for the company? It was all my idea."

Shaheen put his hand to his chin, raising an eyebrow. "You don't say?"

"Yep! This was all my idea to get AWAY from work."

"Then why did you pick a place you hate?"

"Awww I was just being dramatic, nya. I don't really hate this place. In fact... I wanna stay a few days."

"...Okay?"

Chloe nervously fumbled with her cat ears, looking away as if she had something to say. She just didn't know how to break it to such a hardass like Shaheen...

"Um... Shaheen?"

Shaheen looked back up from his menu. He didn't make a noise, just looked at her and awaited whatever she had to say.

"Ummm...wh-what is your mission?"

Shaheen's eyes narrowed slightly. "To get revenge on those who are responsible for the death of my best friend. Didn't we cover this at some point?"

Chloe looked down and blushed a deep shade of red. "W-well... what's the timetable on this mission?"

"I intend to continue my journey as soon as possible. After we eat, I intend to leave Dubai as quickly as possible."

Chloe mentally cursed; damn, he was committed! She had to play this cool...

"Umm... well... don't you still want to think about it? R-revenge and all?"

"I will have plenty of time to think about it on my way."

"B-b-but..."

"Why are you asking me so many questions about it? If you have something to say, I'll listen."

Chloe finally took a deep breath and just unleashed it.

"Well it's just... I WANT TO STAY HERE A FEW MORE DAYS AND I WANT YOU TO STAY WITH ME!"

"...What?"

Thankfully, there was a pause in the conversation when the waitress finally came back and delivered their drinks. Chloe immediately took a big gulp of hers, desperate to calm down from her sudden outburst. The waitress set the beer bottle down in front of Shaheen and popped the cap, which he immediately grabbed and took a sip of.

"What will we be having this evening?"

"Um, I-I-I'll have the T-Tandoori Chicken, nya. S-Shaheen?"

Shaheen folded his menu and set it aside. "Butter Chicken and Rice, please."

The waitress wrote it down and smiled. "Okay, we'll get those in as quickly as possible."

She walked away, and once again that awkward silence returned. It was even more uncomfortable since Chloe was anxiously awaiting Shaheen's response.

Finally, Shaheen broke the ice.

"Why do you want me to stay with you?"

Chloe shot a glance at him, then quickly looked away. "B-because... Dubai is a dangerous place for a girl. I need you to watch my back! Cmon, I'd rather have you than some dumb mercenary or some idiots in black suits."

"Right... and how long did you plan on staying?"

"Ummm... just a few days. Half a week at the most?"

Shaheen sighed and rubbed his forehead. "...Look, I'm having a good time with you and all... but I really, REALLY need to do this. I just... I... he deserves justice! His family deserves justice!"

Chloe put her fuzzy paws on the table and slid them forward, eventually meeting Shaheen's hands. "But... can't it wait? Just a few days?"

Shaheen sighed and just stared at her for a few seconds, honestly not knowing how to respond without crushing the poor girl's heart. Or maybe... was he actually considering her request?

Chloe could see in his eyes which side he was leaning towards. She was starting to feel a little discouraged. So she made the best possible move... leave before he could say no!

"Whoops, gotta go to the restroom. See ya!"

As Chloe sprinted away, Shaheen looked down and closed his eyes, mulling over his emotions. Despite his desire for justice...Chloe's words rang true a little. Sometimes, one had to just get away from work for a few days. Obviously Chloe saw something in him that she saw in no one else, and that's why she wanted him here with her instead of her regular security. He couldn't just leave and break her like that! Maybe... maybe it COULD wait just a few days...? G Corporation wouldn't be going anywhere, but this moment right now would never come again. He would probably never see Lucky Chloe again after this, and after all, she WAS famous! Spending a few days with a rich pop star was something that not many people got to experience.

But aside from her social status, there was something about Chloe that was... refreshing. Shaheen wasn't the most approachable guy, but Chloe just exuded such... confidence. It's like she wasn't afraid of who he was or what he was capable of, like so many others were. It was a soothing feeling for him.

"Cmon, Shaheen... it's just a few days. Nothing's going to happen, and you can be on your way right after..." he muttered to himself. It was worth the cost of making Chloe happy, at the very least.

Shaheen looked at the ceiling, but in his heart he was gazing into the heavens themselves.

"...Faraj, I know you're up there, my brother. Tell me... what should I do? This girl needs my protection... but you... you need something much more important. I can't abandon my duty... I can't abandon you, the man who stood by me when few others did. Kazuya Mishima deserves a swift d-"

"I'M BACK!" Chloe exclaimed, plopping down in her seat and taking a sip of her drink. "So... what's your decision? My cards are all on the table, nya."

Shaheen sighed. "Why, though? Why does it have to be me?"

"BECAUSE... you're a good person."

Shaheen looked up at Chloe, who was blushing slightly after saying that. He himself was feeling like someone just turned on a heater.

"I'll make you a deal... if you stay in Dubai with me for just a few days, I'll pay you whatever you want. Just name it!"

Shaheen put his hand to his chin. "Hmmm... fine. I want you to pay my airfare. I want first class tickets to Japan."

"JAPAN?! I LIVE IN JAPAN, NYAAA!"

Shaheen's eyes widened. "Y-you're kidding? But you're not really Japanese?"

"Still, I moved there because of work. I LUUUUV JAPAN~!"

Chloe squealed and nearly fell out of her seat. "Ahhh! This is great! We can take a little vacation here and then go to Japan together! Ha ha, Chloe and Shaheen The Dynamic Duo! I'll be the sweet, lovable entertainer and you can be the gruff ass kicker! NYA~!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and grinned. "Fine, fine. I'm glad everything works out for us then."

Chloe's mouth opened wide. "So you'll do it?"

"...yes."

"YEEEEES! Ooooh we're gonna have so much fun! We can go to a beach, and the water park, and the Burj Khalifa, and-"

"Food's here."

"Oh! To be continued then~"

The two of them ate in silence, enjoying the spicy and exotic Indian food. Shaheen was still having second guesses about this little "vacation"... but then he saw Chloe's smiling face and it made it seem like the right choice. Maybe the two of them coming together like this and then sharing the same destination was fate.

 **This chapter's getting a decent length, plus I'm really tired and want to go to bed. Sooo... I'm just gonna post it now. Woohoo. To be continued!**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's a good thing I stopped the last chap early, because I had no idea this one would be 5000 words! Anyways, drama and action and fluff incoming. The whole package. Enjoy.**

Shaheen and Chloe walked out of the restaraunt that afternoon, Chloe grinning wide and Shaheen with a solemn expression. Chloe couldn't have been happier, but Shaheen was already wondering whether he made the right decision. He was sacrificing a few precious days of his journey of revenge just to protect a pop star. And the odd thing about it was... he had a feeling nothing was even going to happen. So why did she even want him around? If a few days pass and nothing happens, then his time spent here would be wasted. The only thing he was getting out of this was money; if nothing else, he would be well compensated for his bodyguard duties. Shaheen's work was never done...

"Yep yep! We're gonna have a grand ol' time, nya! Shaheen and Chloe, exploring Dubai together~!" Chloe sang.

"Hmm... you're free to have whatever fun you want, but let's get one thing clear. I'm just here on duty." Shaheen replied with a dull tone.

Chloe playfully nudged him in the ribs. "Awww don't think of it like that, nya! Just think of it as a paid vacation!"

"What I don't understand is why you are so convinced something is going to happen to you here." Shaheen replied, rubbing his head a few times.

Chloe blushed a little. "U-umm... what do you mean? I'm a celebrity aren't I? What if some sicko tries to kidnap me and you're not here? It ain't easy being famous, nya!"

"If you hadn't fired your security, you wouldn't even need me."

Chloe grunted with annoyance. "Uggggh! I TOLD YOU that I don't want to entrust my life to those dipwads! NYA!"

"But-"

"You're a professional bodyguard aren't you? Then clam up and guard my body! Nya!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and gave a sharp scoff. "Fine. But I expect to be well-paid for this. And don't forget my airfare to Japan after this is over."

Chloe rolled her eyes in response. "Yeah yeah, I haven't forgotten your precious airfare nya. You know, I thought you'd be in a better mood after I bought you lunch."

"I'm...sorry... if I seem grumpy. But I'm still trying to grasp the reality of what's happening here. I've agreed to spend half a week with you on vacation, when I could be doing something much more important."

"What, revenge? You know, revenge isn't the key to everything. Don't you watch movies? Revenge won't bring back the ones you've lost, nya!"

"Yes, I'm very familiar with that tired line. But revenge will let the souls of my best friend and his family rest in peace."

"Maybe... but what does that do to you?"

Shaheen had to pump the brakes to think that one over for a moment. The girl brought up a valid point... Shaheen was a man who disliked violence. He preferred not to take life, only doing it in the most extreme circumstances. But this... was this situation extreme enough to call for murder? If he went through with this, he would be a killer... no better than an assassin who takes life for money.

Chloe noticed Shaheen had stopped and giggled. "Ahhhh see? I got you thinking now, don't I? Nya~!"

Shaheen was at a loss for words at the moment. "I...b-but I..."

Chloe took his hands and looked him in the eyes. "I know I keep saying this, but I only say it because I mean it... you're a good person. You're the kind of man who rescues a girl you never met before. I've only known you for a few hours... but you don't have the eyes of a killer."

Shaheen stared back at Chloe with a solemn face, taking in her words. He didn't say anything back, but Chloe could tell he had taken the words to heart.

A warm smile formed on Chloe's lips as she leaned in close. "Cmon, let's get back to my suite."

But suddenly, as the two of them started to walk onward, trouble reared its ugly head.

It started off as an extra pair of footsteps, which Shaheen took notice of. He continued to subtly shoot glances behind him as the footsteps from behind drew closer and closer. He looked down at Chloe, put an arm around her waist, and urged her forward.

"Wh-what?"

"Shh...don't look behind us."

Shaheen and Chloe started to pick up their pace, walking fast like they were crossing a busy highway. But the footsteps stayed consistent behind them. Whoever this person was, it was obvious they were on Shaheen and Chloe's trail and not just a stranger who happened to be walking in the same direction.

Finally, Shaheen had enough. With an annoyed grunt, he pulled Chloe in front of him and turned around, facing the stalker.

"Excuse me, but whatever it is you want from us, we're not offering. Take a...hike?"

But his sentence cut short when he realized he was staring down the barrel of a gun.

"I want the girl...NOW!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes. "You think a gun scares me?"

"I'm not kidding buddy, hand over the girl now!"

"What's she to you?"

"I'm NOT ASKING AGAIN-"

Shaheen's response was lunging forward and grabbing the man's arm, bending it at his elbow joint and folding his arm inward. He quickly seized the gun and turned it handle-first, then struck the man across the temple with it. As the assailant dropped to the ground, Shaheen disarmed and dismantled the firearm before his eyes. The man watched with his eyes wide as the pieces of gun fell on the ground in front of him.

But before Shaheen could revel in his quick victory, he noticed something strange about the bullet he had ejected from the chamber.

"What...?"

With a suspicious squint, Shaheen knelt down and picked up the clip, emptying the bullets in his hand. He dropped the clip and picked up one of the bullets, examining it close.

"This is... these are dummy rounds..."

Before Shaheen could question the assailant, a scream of terror rang out from behind.

"WAAAAAAH HELP MEEEEEE!"

Shaheen quickly turned around just in time to see two guys snatch up Chloe and start running off with her.

"Hey! Stop!"

Shaheen put a hand on his belt... but his sword wasn't there.

"Damn... I left it at the hotel...!"

Shaheen had no choice but to sprint after the thugs, who were surprisingly not making any effort to conceal their identities. They were dressed in casual clothing, and not even wearing masks. It was odd, to say the least.

Shaheen didn't have time to think about all that though; he was completely focused on recovering the package. He could see her staring at him, her face plastered with fear, her little legs and arms flailing around in all directions. Suddenly he felt like an idiot; this was exactly what she had warned him about!

"Gyaaaaah! Please don't hurt meeee! Nyaaa!" Chloe wailed.

"Shut up, bitch! You're gonna fetch us a nice little profit!" the thug sneered.

Shaheen ran as fast as his legs could take him, not worrying about the fact that they were obviously leading him into an ambush. He would take as many of them as possible to get Chloe back. Up to now, he had been dismissive of her needs... but now he realized that she needed him here. Her stupid security guards would never get her back, but Shaheen could. And he WILL.

Shaheen finally followed them into an alley, and sure enough, there was a whole gang waiting for him. There were about six in total, each cracking their knuckles. Only one seemed to have a weapon, though. It was just a mere pocketknife. Shaheen must have taken care of the only gun they had.

"Welcome to my trap!" the head thug spat. He dropped Chloe on her butt and stepped forward.

"Owwwwie! Nya..." Chloe hissed, rubbing her backside with a leer.

"Tell me, what do you want with this girl?" Shaheen asked, raising his fists.

"She's f***in' famous! Don't you know she's a popular singer/dancer? And who the hell are you, anyway?"

Shaheen took a step forward. "I've been hired to protect her."

The head thug laughed and brandished a knife. "Ha! So you're just some dumb hired security? Where's your corny black suit and sunglasses?"

Shaheen's expression grew more intense. "Don't put me in the same category as some minimum wage goon. I'm a professional... as you're about to find out."

The head thug lunged forward with his knife, but Shaheen extended his hand and collided with his forehead to keep him from getting close. Now effectively in Shaheen's range, Shaheen grabbed his wrist and pulled downward, then snaked his hand around the back of the thug's head and jerked him forward. The thug was bent forward by Shaheen's strength and Shaheen nailed him with a vicious knee to the body

"Hnngh!"

The thug dropped to his knees, and Shaheen finished him off with a kick to the head. His shinbone crashed into the thug's forehead, dropping him instantly and rendering him unconscious.

"Oh wowie..." Chloe gasped.

Two more thugs came forward and swung at him. Shaheen bounced their fists off his forearms and shoved one of them away, providing enough distance that he could pick off the other thug.

The other one came forward with a wild right hand, but Shaheen dodged the punch and threw a straight elbow to the soft flesh just below his sternum.

"Ghuuk!"

Shaheen threw a powerful leg kick, staggering him, then spun around and threw a wild looping flying kick that knocked him sideways and sprawled him out on the ground. That was two down.

The one that got shoved finally closed distance again and tried to punch Shaheen in the back of the head. Shaheen anticipated the punch, caught his wrist, then swept the thug's left leg and fell backwards, his momentum and body weight collapsing on the thug and making him fall over like a domino.

Shaheen quickly spun around to achieve a full mount and brought his fist crashing into the man's cheek. He finished the thug off with a sharp fist to his ribs, then quickly rose back to his feet.

Three down.

Shaheen threw a front kick to send one of them stumbling backwards temporarily as another thug closed distance on him. This bold thug tried to throw a high kick, but Shaheen easily caught the kick and punched the thug hard between his legs.

"Ooooh that hurt me, nya..." Chloe winced.

As a pathetic whimper leaked out of the thug's lungs, Shaheen held his ankle tight and used it to control his body, angling it just right for him to deliver a high kick to his upper ribs. He finally let go of the poor thug's leg and allowed him to crumple to the ground in pain.

Four down.

The last two rushed him. The one on the left swung wild at him and missed, allowing Shaheen to wrap his arms tight around him and put him in a body lock. He stomped the right thug in the shin to keep him at bay, then he slung the thug in his arms to the ground.

Shaheen leaped high in the air and came down on the thug's back with his foot extended, like a descending bomb hitting its target. Then, standing perfectly balanced on one foot, he brought his other foot crashing into the chin of the last thug who had limped forward in a vain attempt. He finally got off of the thug he was standing on, rolled him over, lifted him ever so slightly, and threw a sharp jab to his face to lay him out.

"Woooo Shaheen you're awesome~!" Chloe cheered, pumping her fists and acting very uncharacteristic for the current situation.

One of them actually managed to get up and grab the knife. With a growl, he grabbed Chloe's hair and stuck the knife to her neck.

"Alright! Make another move and she gets it!"

Shaheen turned around and scoffed, not buying the bluff. "Don't be foolish. You need her alive for ransom."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't care anymore! Maybe I'm just pissed and feel like cutting a mofo!"

Shaheen looked down at Chloe. "...duck."

"Huh?"

"GET ON THE GROUND!"

"Okay, nya!"

Chloe quickly hit the dirt and Shaheen lunged forward. He performed an amazing backwards somersault, his foot soaring upwards and colliding with the thug's chin. The thug got at least two seconds of air time before his body collided with the ground.

"Ooof...ughhhhhhhhhhh..."

Shaheen landed perfectly on his feet. The thugs were all down for the count.

Chloe got back to her feet, ran forward and literally tackled Shaheen with her arms wide open.

"MY HERO~!"

Since Shaheen was so much bigger than her, Chloe essentially hit him head on and was stopped dead. Shaheen had to quickly hold her in his arms, lest she fall to the ground.

The two of them stood like that for a second, Chloe in Shaheen's arms... like a superhero rescuing a damsel. Her teal orbs gazed into his eyes... and a fire coursed through her like never before. It was a thrilling sensation.

"Th-thank you...for saving me~" Chloe cooed.

Shaheen felt the slightest of warmth brewing in his cheeks. "Man... you really are helpless here without me, aren't you?"

Chloe giggled and booped him on the nose. "I told ya! It ain't easy being rich, famous, and oh so fine~!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Let's just get back to your room where it's safe."

"Kay~!"

One he realized he was still holding Chloe in his arms, Shaheen abruptly set her down and distanced himself a few inches. Chloe only grinned as the two of them started to leave the area and return back to her place. But before they vacated the premises, Shaheen turned around and gazed at the thugs he had just finished teaching a lesson. They were all communicating with the same assortment of groans, wheezes, and whimpers of agony.

"I should really call the authorities."

"NO!"

Shaheen glared at Chloe, his eyebrow raised from that sudden outburst. "Huh?"

Chloe nervously rubbed her head. "D-don't call the cops on them! They deserve to lay here on the ground in pain, nya!"

Shaheen rubbed his stubble and pondered. "Hmm...very well then. Let's just go."

Chloe gave a subtle sigh of relief as the two of them walked away from the scene. Chloe was happy to have it all behind them, for multiple reasons: she had gotten a good glimpse of Shaheen's skills, she had finally convinced him that he was serving an important purpose here, and most importantly... he was none the wiser.

But alas, the car ride back to the hotel felt much longer for Chloe as she sat in silence, her stomach buzzing with the negative kind of anxiety. She had a dirty little secret, and she was afraid of telling Shaheen the truth, lest he get angry and leave. For at that restaraunt, when she supposedly had claimed she was using the restroom... a different kind of business was being done behind the closed bathroom door.

She was silently grateful that nobody got seriously hurt, but the guilt was still eating away at her insides like a corrosive. What if Shaheen had accidentally killed one of them? He would have to live with the blood of an innocent on his hands, and Chloe would be forced to either keep that dark secret hidden for all eternity or come out with it and be shunned forever. She herself would have to carry that pain until her dying day.

But luckily for her, Shaheen was serious about using his skills to protect instead of kill. He fought those thugs not with the intention of killing them... but simply rescuing Chloe from their vile clutches. If only he knew the truth... and Chloe wasn't too scared to tell him.

She was so deep in thought about it that Shaheen actually had to snap her out of it when they arrived.

"Hey, we're here. Cmon, let's get you to your room. You're not leaving for the rest of the afternoon, and that's an order."

Chloe looked at him and put on a half-smile, just to hide her guilt. "Okay, nya~!"

Chloe took his arm and the two of them made their way back to Chloe's luxurious palace on the tip-top floor. Shaheen politely held the door open for her, then followed in behind her and shut the door.

"Wooohooo! Back to my big, comfy bed~!"

Chloe took off her jacket, headphones, shoes, and then ran over to the bed and dived on it. Since she had such a petite body, she didn't do any damage and she even bounced quite high.

"Hey, careful! I just saved you from thugs, so don't go breaking your neck." Shaheen scolded.

Chloe rolled over and stuck her tongue out at him. "Hee hee... you're supposed to be a badass bodyguard, not a nagging grandma~"

"This 'grandma' deserves a raise after I pulled you out of the fire." Shaheen scoffed.

"And you did a WONDERFUL job! Eh... heh heh... uhhh..."

Chloe's smile faded. She stared at Shaheen for a few seconds, feeling those butterflies welling in her stomach again. She solemly laid her head down on the bed and, before even realizing it, called out his name.

"...Shaheen?"

"What?" he grumbled, sitting down on the nearby couch and taking off his boots.

"Will... you sit with me for a second?"

"...Why can't you just say what you need to say?"

"Because... I WANNA CATCH YOU BEFORE YOU GET MAD AND LEAVE!"

Then Shaheen saw something he had never seen from her before...tears. When those clear droplets leaked from her eyelids and left streaks down her cheeks, he knew that something was serious.

Since Chloe had this sudden burst of emotion, Shaheen decided the only gentlemanly thing to do would be to respect her wishes. He took off his hat and cape, then walked over there to the bed and sat down beside her.

"Okay... what's the problem?"

Chloe wiped a tear or two and sat upright. "I...I...I... d-did something bad today."

"What?"

Chloe shut her eyes tight and collapsed against Shaheen's chest, startling him. "THAT WHOLE KIDNAPPING WAS STAGED!"

Shaheen remained silent after that bomb was dropped, partly because he didn't know what to do with the crying girl all over him. It would be rude to just get up and leave, but would angrily demanding an explanation be any better at this very second? The girl was obviously emotional, so she must feel guilty about it at least. Shaheen decided the best course of action was to just say nothing and wait for her when she was ready to speak.

And finally, that moment came.

"Ever since you rescued me this morning, I've liked you." Chloe sobbed. "You're so much better than the jerks I have to deal with on a daily basis! You're big and strong and handsome and kind... even though you act aloof, I know you're a good person just from talking to you a little!"

"Wait wait wait...wait. Backtrack a little." Shaheen ordered. "You faked the kidnapping?"

Chloe got off of Shaheen and wiped her eyes. "Y-y-yes... when I said I was going to the bathroom, I actually met some of the men at the restaraunt and paid them to kidnap me."

Shaheen squinted his eyes angrily and put his hand to his chin. "So that explains the fake bullets... and I suppose that guy with the knife wasn't really going to cut you. But why? Why would you waste my time?"

A few fresh tears leaked from Chloe's eyes. "Because you were on and on about wanting to go back to your journey, and I didn't want you to leave before I got to know you better! I thought if I hired some guys to kidnap me, then maybe you would feel better about staying and being my bodyguard."

"Get to know me...? Who do you think I am, girl?! Do you think I'm just some groupie or one of your girlfriends that you go to the mall with and talk about boys and stuff? I am a SOLDIER! I live by the sword and die by the sword. I don't have time for making friends! There's people out there who actually need me!"

"...I need you."

Shaheen looked away in annoyance, grunting at the absurdity of the situation. He didn't get up and leave... he just sat there for a while and tried to let his nerves calm. While Shaheen was only a human and not perfect, he felt like he was rational enough that he could solve a problem without an outburst of regretful anger. He took a deep breath, slowly turned back around to face the crying girl, and simply uttered one word:

"Why?"

Chloe wiped her eyes and sat indian-style on the bed, facing him.

"Because... I don't have a friend in the world. Nobody cares about me, Shaheen... I'm just some object of entertainment and money-making. Nobody in the whole world wants to give the real me a moment of their time. But when you rescued me today... and you didn't even know who I was... I knew that you were different. That's why you're good person."

She knelt over and gave him a pleading look. "Look... I'll pay you whatever you want. You can still be my bodyguard, business as usual! But just for a few days... I want to know what it feels like to have a true friend. So please... please don't leave me all alone."

Shaheen wanted to be angry. Right now he wanted to jump up, storm off, leave this deceitful girl and never see her again, and get back to his true journey. But... he couldn't help but feel humbled by her words. The way she just poured out to him had him feeling like the selfish one; like he was breaking her heart for his own gains.

But that wasn't all of it: Shaheen had taken her words to heart, and realized that they were more alike than he had initially thought. The same way that she felt about him rescuing her... he felt the same way about her approaching him without hesitation. When very few others did, Chloe saw beyond his exterior.

With all of these thoughts in mind, Shaheen knew in his heart what the right move forward was.

"I feel the same way."

Chloe blushed slightly when she felt Shaheen's hand touch hers. "H-huh?"

Shaheen couldn't look at her out of sheer embarassment, but he continued to talk nonetheless. "I mean... you're a good friend to me too. In the small time we've been together, you've treated me so kind. In fact... you're helping me cope with things."

Chloe leaned in and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You mean your friend?"

Shaheen put his fingers to his eyes to avoid shedding a tear. "Yes... I knew that man and his family for a long time. I remember all the times they invited me into their home... treated me to dinner... helped me during times of financial turmoil... I feel an emptiness in my heart with them gone. But in the short time I've spent with you, I can feel warmth inside that dark void."

Chloe couldn't hold back anymore after hearing those words. She finally closed distance and brought her arms around Shaheen for a hug. Shaheen didn't return the favor, but he let her hug him; after the talk they just had, it was inevitable anyway.

"I'm glad we can make each other feel better." Chloe replied with a warm smile.

Shaheen finally turned towards her and brought a hand to her head to gently stroke her hair. "I forgive you for deceiving me. But don't do it again, okay? If I have to take action against people, I want it to be serious."

Chloe looked down apologetically. "Right, right. I'm sorry. So... you'll still stay with me~?"

Shaheen gave a good-hearted sigh. "Yes... I'll stay with you."

"THANK YOUUUUU!"

Chloe's embrace tightened, to the point that Shaheen could feel the slightest of constriction on his neck. Chloe wasn't strong enough to choke him out, but it was still slightly uncomfortable.

"Okay! Okay, Chloe, please."

Chloe finally let go of him and giggled. "Whew! Sorry, got a little excited there. Is your neck okay?"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and gave a tiny smile. "I'm tired. It's been a long day. Can we just relax for the evening?"

Chloe and Shaheen spent the rest of the day in the hotel, watching movies on TV and ordering room service. It was a much more relaxing pace compared to the ordeals they had been suffering all day long, from the mob of fans to the "kidnapping". And of course, the emotional trauma had exhausted them both as well. In response to their long day, they both decided to go to bed early that night and wake up to a fresh start.

Shaheen waited on the couch for Chloe to get out of the shower, eager to feel that hot water washing away his tension. Maybe he would sleep well tonight; maybe he wouldn't be kept awake by the trauma of his loved ones being brutally murdered. He had spend many a sleepless night with it on his mind, but maybe... tonight would be different. This was a much more soothing atmosphere, and at least he had enjoyable company.

The door opened and Chloe finally came strutting out, looking much different than she usually did. It was the first time Shaheen had seen her without her usual cat outfit, and it attracted his gaze to say the least. She was wearing a simple pink tanktop, low cut enough just to subtly show off her modest curves, and short enough on the bottom that a generous amount of her milky white abdomen shown. The black shorts she was wearing were so tiny, Shaheen questioned just what age of clothing department she shopped in to get them. To complete the image, Chloe once again had her long golden hair down and flowing free, no longer constricted in pigtail form.

"TADAAAA! Lucky Chloe in sleepwear~!" Chloe exclaimed, twirling around. "I'll let you pick your jaw off the floor, tee hee~"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and watched as Chloe bounced on her bed, kicking her bare feet in the air and giggling.

"Wooo! This feels like heaven, nya~"

She turned over to Shaheen, who finally got off the couch and approached the bathroom. "Hey, while you're in there why don't you do something about that stubble, nya?"

"Oh shut up." Shaheen retorted, causing Chloe to giggle uncontrollably. He shook his head in annoyance before shutting the door and locking it.

Shaheen could tell she was used to staying alone, since she had no qualms about leaving her clothes and underwear laying all over the bathroom floor. Even her cat ear headphones, which looked damn expensive, were tottering on the edge of the sink.

Shaheen sighed and used his foot to neatly kick her clothes in a pile, then he shifted her cat ear headphones so they wouldn't fall off. Finally he turned on the hot water and unzipped the bag he had carried with him to Dubai, getting out a fresh set of sleeping clothes.

Shaheen took a long, thorough, almost SELFISH shower that night. He figured he deserved after all the crap he went through lately, especially today. That hot water felt too good on his tired, weary muscles.

When he got out, he decided to be the respectable one and put his dirty clothes in a neat little pile in the corner. After drying off, he slipped on a simple white wifebeater and some black silky pants, then finally opened the door and exited the stuffy bathroom.

Chloe was all eyes when he stepped out, eager to see what he looked like without that stuffy military uniform. She was immediately captivated by just how big his muscles were; he could probably pull her apart like taffy! Aside from his rather impressive physique, Chloe finally got a good, long glimpse of his cute short hair now that he wasn't wearing his usual red and white checkered shemagh. She had seen it a few times this afternoon, but now she finally got to study it for a good long time. It was so short and cute... would he get mad if she ran her fingers through it?

"I'm exhausted. I have to sleep now." Shaheen declared. He made his way to the couch...

"W-wait!"

Shaheen stopped and turned to her, and her teal eyes stared into his with a pleading look.

"...Share the bed with me?"

Shaheen's arm instinctively shot to his scalp and started rubbing it nervously. "...You're joking?"

"N-no! Cmon, nothing's gonna happen. It's a big bed. Cmon, you deserve to sleep in an actual bed. The blanket's very warm, nya!"

Shaheen put his hand to his chin and thought about it.

"Cmoooooooon~"

He thought about it harder.

"I know some people have those unconscious reflexes and they can't control their hands, but I don't think I have that problem, nya."

He thought about it even harder.

"I don't snore, nya."

That bed did look very comfortable...

Shaheen finally gave in and sighed with a tiny smile. "...I'll take the left side."

"WOOOOO! Get over here, nya~!"

Shaheen crawled into the bed and Chloe reached over to turn off the lamp. As the black of night engulfed them, Shaheen allowed his muscles to relax and his body melted like proverbial butter against the soft mattress. He already didn't regret the decision; it felt even better than earlier when he had laid on it for a few minutes. Now that the day was over and he had nothing to worry about, he and this bed could get acquainted all night long. It was becoming increasingly probably that he would actually sleep well for once in a long time.

And then he felt a warm, soft weight press against his chest.

"...what the...?"

Followed by a cute little sigh.

"...Chloe?"

Two arms found their way around each side of his neck. A couple of fingers reached up to gently dance across his brown locks. One leg draped over his.

"...Why am I not surprised."

Shaheen ignored it and closed his eyes, finally achieving the sleep he had longed for. Admittedly... snuggling with Chloe wasn't the worst feeling in the world.


	5. Chapter 5

That bed lived up to Shaheen's expectations; he woke up that morning finally knowing how the rich and famous slept, and he was hooked. If postponing his quest for revenge meant being able to sleep in that bed a few more nights, he wouldn't complain one bit.

As Shaheen stretched and rubbed his eyes, he noticed Chloe was already out of the bed. The bathroom door was shut, so she must have been getting ready for whatever adventure she would be dragging him along for today. He was actually kind of curious what it would be... would it be something fun? Shaheen had devoted most of his life from teen to adulthood in the Arabian military, and when he was honorably discharged, he joined the private organization he works for now. Needless to say... he wasn't much for recreational activities. Whatever scheme Chloe was cooking up today, it was sure to be a pleasant change from his daily routine.

And finally, the door opened, and out came Chloe strutting in an outfit, or lack thereof, that made Shaheen's eyebrow shoot upwards against all willpower.

"TADAAAAAAAAH!"

She was clad not in clothes, but in a silver bikini that was small even for HER. The top, while managing to do its job, still displayed a rather ample amount of Chloe's rather moderate figure. It was no longer speculation; Shaheen was now fully convinced Chloe bought her outfits in the children's section of the clothing store.

"So? What do you think?" Chloe asked, a wide grin on her face as she struck a pose like a model.

Shaheen subtly exhaled and looked away. "It's...um... not what I expected."

"Do I look sexy~?"

"Are you gonna go out in public like that?"

Chloe put her hands on her hips and mean-mugged him. "No! Just until we get to the water park, nya."

Shaheen rubbed his head. "Water... park?"

"Yep! Dubai has one of the best water parks in the world! I wanna go there today, and I want you to go with me. To uh... watch my back! L-like I hired you to, nya."

"Right... and your current appearance doesn't exactly scream discretion. You'll stand out like a sore thumb. I'll be fighting off hordes of hostile phone cameras."

"Hey, I'm a star. I'm gonna stand out no matter what, nya!"

Shaheen sighed. "Fine... but just put on some clothes until we get there."

"Duh!"

Chloe turned around and walked back towards the bathroom, and Shaheen's eyes instinctively shot downwards to her cute little butt dimples where the bikini bottom didn't quite cover all of her real estate. He stared for a few seconds until he mentally kicked his eyes away.

"Ugh... always so flamboyant."

Chloe came back out of the bathroom minutes later, but she wasn't wearing her usual costume. She was wearing denim shorts and a pink tanktop that only went three-quarters of the way down, which seemed to be a theme for her. She was also in her trademark pigtails, but was no longer wearing her cat-ear headphones. She probably didn't want them to get damaged by water, a pleasant change from when she left them on the edge of a sink to potentially fall and break last night. Looks like she DID have some semblance of responsibility.

"Do you always have to show off your navel?" Shaheen said with a scoff.

"What? It's a cute navel, nya~" Chloe giggled in response.

Shaheen rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom, shutting the door. Minutes later, he came out in his own casual attire: a pair of jeans, a short sleeved, white collar-shirt, and a pair of well-kept brown shoes. Chloe was amazed by the way the shirt hugged his torso and his pectorals could be seen bulging from them. The short sleeves also complimented his buff arms quite well.

"Wow, that looks great on you, bodyguard!" Chloe said with a smile. "Just one little thing though..."

Shaheen felt a little warm inside when Chloe leaned over and put her hands on his chest. Her fingers slid upwards and started fumbling with the two little buttons at the top. She unbuttoned both of them before standing back and admiring her work.

"There you go! You look better that way, nya~"

Shaheen looked down at his shirt; both the buttons were undone, and his chest was a little visible now. He could see the little rippling curves that separated his pecs, as well as the brown hairs that resided there.

"Umm... if you say so." Shaheen grunted, looking away to hide his embarrassment.

"Okay, cmon! Off to the biggest, baddest water park in the world! NYAAAA!"

On the cab ride there, which Chloe generously paid for as usual, Shaheen lost himself in thought once again. While Chloe was an excellent conversationalist, Shaheen just wasn't one for these long, awkward cab rides. As he stared out the window, his thoughts once again fell upon the lives that had been lost: the people he held dear to his heart. He wondered if they were up in heaven right now, watching him... asking each other what he was doing here instead of avenging their deaths.

"Bodyguard?"

Were they judging him right now? Were they spitting at him, cursing his name for choosing to spend a vacation with an annoying blonde popstar instead of confronting Kazuya Mishima? And most importantly... did Shaheen himself feel like he made the right choice?

"Shaheen! Don't ignore me, nya!"

Shaheen snapped out of it and looked over. "Sorry. What is it?"

"I was asking if you were gonna do some of the fun rides with me!"

"...What do you think? I don't even have any swimming trunks."

"Money's no object, nya~"

"I'm just here to look after you, not join in your antics."

"Aw, you're no fun! So you're gonna make me go on the big, bad, dangerous water slides myself?"

"Well, when you emerge from the other side, I'll be waiting for you. Deal?"

"Hmph..."

When they finally arrived at the water park, Chloe couldn't have shown less restraint. Like a child near a ball pit, she had to run off with no sense of care or self-preservation. Of course, the receptionist still stood in her way.

"How many?" he asked.

"Just two, nya!" Chloe responded, her feet bouncing back and forth as if she couldn't stand to be standing still.

"Okay, that'll be- hey! Aren't you Lucky Chloe? The popstar and G Corporation's mascot?"

"YES!" Chloe exclaimed in a hushed voice. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't go spilling that to everyone you meet! I'm off duty, nya!"

"Oh wow... can I have your autograph?"

"That depends... can me and my bodyguard get in for free?"

The receptionist looked left and right, then stealthily pulled out a pen and paper. "Yes, but just act fast. And where is your other guy?"

"He's still catching up, the slowpoke."

Chloe turned around and beckoned to Shaheen to hurry up. Shaheen, still yards away, rolled his eyes and continued walking at the same speed; his legs were longer, so he'd get there by the time she was done anyway.

"Aaaaand there we go! Enjoy, buddy~"

"Oh thank you! I love you, Chloe!"

"Yeah yeah. HEY SHAHEEN! I GOT US IN FOR FREE, NYA!"

The receptionist nearly fell over dead when she screamed that to the high heavens, but Chloe didn't care as Shaheen finally caught up to her and she extended her arm.

"Cmon, let's go in!'

Shaheen rolled his eyes again and took her arm. "How did you get us in for free anyway?"

"That's just one of the perks of being the cutest, most lovable pop star on the Earth, nya~"

The two of them made their way through the park until Chloe got a good look at the first ride she wanted to go on: a huge water slide that spiraled several times down and into the waiting arms of a huge pool. The slide was so big that it could be seen from the entrance.

"Wowie! I so wanna go on that, nya! Here, hold onto my clothes for me!"

Lacking the least little bit of modesty, Lucky Chloe stripped out of her tanktop and shorts in front of everyone. She balled them up and stuffed them in Shaheen's arms, ignoring the looks of admiration from several pairs of eyes who just witnessed a pop idol in a bikini. Shaheen angrily stepped in front of them and flashed a mean look to shoo them away.

"Chloe, I just want you to be... careful?"

When Shaheen turned around, Chloe was no longer standing there. She must have been so excited that she ran off into the park and left him standing there with her clothes.

"Ugh...that girl is so spontaneous. Can't hold still for a second..."

Since Shaheen didn't want to have to carry her clothes around everywhere, he made his way to the locker room to safely put them away. There was just one problem... he couldn't put her name on the locker, otherwise some crazed fan would steal them and probably sniff them like a creep.

"Hmmm... let's see..."

Shaheen looked around a few times; nobody was paying attention to him. He lifted up his pant leg and drew a combat knife strapped to his ankle (he had been keeping it in the bag he carried with him to Dubai). Looking around one more time, he quickly struck the metal locker and left a teeny little scratch in it. Now, he would know this locker had Lucky Chloe's clothes, and nobody else would.

"There we go."

Shaheen quickly slid the knife back into its hiding spot, stuffed the clothes, then walked out of the locker room looking as casual as possible.

As Shaheen stepped back into the frontlines of the boisterous water park, he couldn't help but be amazed by the sights: so much blue, all those happy, smiling faces... at a place like this, it's impossible not to feel joy. But for a man like Shaheen, joy was far out of reach... even at a water park. He found it impossible to relax right now: not while Chloe was still out there by herself.

...Wait, that wasn't right. He meant to think, not while Kazuya Mishima was still at large. Why did he just make that mistake? He was really starting to lose focus; with each second he spent with this girl, he was becoming detached from his destiny.

Shaheen put his hand to his forehead; was that a headache he was feeling? Or maybe it was just the sting of such a painful, confusing dilemma.

"Ugh... I have to relax... I just have to."

 **MEANWHILE...**

"COMINGTHROUGHCOMINGTHROUGHCOMINGTHROUGH! STARS GO FIRST!"

Chloe was showing a more selfish side at the water slide, pushing past people old and young to distinguish herself at the front of the line. Of course, the staff did their job well, so the attendant at the ride wasn't about to let her get away with it.

"Miss. Miss! MISS!"

Chloe finally pushed her way to the front of the line, but was immediately stopped by a powerful hand of a grown man.

"Miss, don't think I didn't see all that. You just march yourself right back to the end of the line, young lady."

Chloe put her hands on her hips and got in his face, a look of pure bloodlust in her eyes. "Nobody...NOBODY... will deny me going on this slide, do you hear me? I. GO. FIRST!"

The man was unfazed; he stood his ground, folding his arms. "Are you sure you can even handle this slide? There is an age and weight limit, you know. You look too young and weak to handle it. You might hurt yourself."

Chloe stomped her foot. "Ex-CUSE ME? I am an adult, dammit!"

"Hey, watch your mouth."

Chloe sighed and put her hand to her eyebrows. "...I didn't want to play this card..."

She looked up at the man. "Do you know who I am?"

The man looked down at her. "Umm... a scrawny little brat?"

"No, I am Lucky Chloe the J-Pop Star! NYA!"

That made his eyes widen. "Y-you're Lucky Chloe? Prove it!"

Chloe sighed. "Fine..."

Chloe motioned everyone back to give herself some space. With a deep breath, she extended her hands wide and waved them.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAI!"

She then extended her forefinger and thumb.

"LUCKYYYYYYYYY"

Finally, she brought her hand around in a loop until it rested on her forehead with a salute.

"CHLOEEEEEEEEEE!"

Her gesture was immediately met with thunderous applause, followed by several whoops and whistles. Needless to say, everyone's perspective of her changed in a split second.

"Oh my god, my daughter loves you!" the attendant exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and whipped out a notepad and pen.

"Not so fast, nya." Chloe blurted, holding her hand up. "NOW do I get to go first?"

"Hell yes, you can!"

"Hey, watch your mouth. There's kids here, nya!"

Chloe took the pen and signed her name, then immediately dived into the tunnel and was swept away by the powerful water.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She went around and around the spirals, her head spinning, her brain nearly flying out of her ear, until finally she hit the final stretch and was sent zooming into the pool.

SPLASH!

And then, like an angelic dolphin, she emerged from the water and flicked her beautiful golden hair, which was now down. Her dripping wet beauty captured the gaze of all the pubescent boys, married men, and those who swung on the other side.

"Oooh darn, I lost my barrettes! HEY! SOMEBODY HELP ME FIND MY BARRETTES!"

All of the awestruck spectators immediately submerged themselves, doing their goddess Chloe's bidding. Chloe floated to the edge of the pool and sighed with relaxation, while her slaves worked hard underwater to find her barrettes.

 **MEANWHILE...**

Shaheen was sitting on a bench, his facial expression not the least bit inspiring of fun and joy. In fact, everyone who walked past him was catching his negative vibes, to the extent that they walked away quicker just to escape.

Shaheen let out a long sigh. "Maybe I should get something to eat... I wonder if they have drinks for adults..."

As he got off the bench, he decided maybe he should go over to the hugest water slide in the park and maybe check on Chloe. After all, he was here solely for the purpose of watching her.

"Guess I should head over there..."

But as Shaheen started to walk onward, he squinted his eyes and stared into the distance; there were guys entering the park, all of them wearing... black suits?!

"What the...?"

Instead of making his way towards Chloe, Shaheen went the completely opposite direction and headed towards the entrance of the park. As soon as he closed distance on the men in black, he hid behind a prop and watched them.

"That dumb bitch! I'll teach her to fire us like that!" one of them growled.

"Heh, yeah! The Mishima Zaibatsu will pay us a pretty penny for her head!" another chimed in.

Shaheen put his hand to his ear. "They're saying something... but I can't hear them..."

Suddenly, they all pulled out their guns and discreetly equipped them with silencers. Though they were discreet about it, Shaheen's eyes were better than most; he saw that they were armed and his eyes widened.

"Damn, they've got guns. What are they doing here? Wait a minute... are those..."

Shaheen recalled Lucky Chloe's security personnel that she had abruptly fired. The men here were the exact same number that she fired! He could recognize their hairstyles, the blemishes on their face, their distinct jawlines, chins, foreheads, noses... no doubt, it was them: Lucky Chloe's disgruntled ex-security.

Shaheen silently cursed, squatting down a little lower before taking a deep breath and poking his head back out to get a second look.

"Okay boys. Let's go get us a bounty!"

Shaheen ducked back down and cursed again. "Damnation! Okay... whew... I can do this. There's six of them, all with guns. I can't rush them at once, but I can't let them discover where Chloe's at in the park. I have surprise on my side... that'll have to do."

And thus... the hunt began.

The first ex-security guard started his search at the bathrooms. It was a pretty secluded part of the park, so Shaheen decided it best to take him down right there and then. He lie in wait at a nearby decorative tree, watching as the suit slowly crept towards the restrooms, gun partially drawn from his shirt.

"Yoohooooo... Miss Chloe? You over here? I just wanted to ask for my job back." the man bluffed. "I'm not mad, I promise!"

Shaheen closed his eyes and breathed. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale... he opened his eyes back and they wore a look of determination.

"Gotta go... now!" he whispered aloud.

Shaheen sprinted out of the tree and charged towards the left side of the men's port-a-potty, taking cover behind it. He slowly crept around the corner and got a good look at the assassin, who was hiding behind the women's port-a-potty and peeking around the corner. He must have been waiting for Chloe to eventually make her way there... or maybe he thought she was in there already.

Shaheen crept towards the assassin, who couldn't see Shaheen in his peripheral because the wall was there. He was blind to what would come next.

"AGH!"

Shaheen grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the wall, then stuck his leg around the assailant's foot and swept it. The assailant fell backwards and Shaheen caught him, then began raining several 12-to-6 elbows directly into his ribcage. Shaheen finished off the wheezing goon with a backfist to the nose and then let him fall to the ground. He hit his head on the concrete and was rendered unconscious. Shaheen flipped him over on his stomach, pinned his arms and legs back, and bound them with the unconscious man's own black tie.

Five to go.

Shaheen saw another one go into the gift shop, a valid guess as to where an enthusiastic girl like Chloe would be. Shaheen cracked his knuckles and ran in after him.

The man made his way back to the t-shirts in the corner of the store, and Shaheen followed closely behind. He took cover behind a hat rack and waited for the assailant to turn his back. And he did just that.

"Perfect..."

The idiot was actually checking out one of the t-shirts when Shaheen grabbed him and secured a standing choke.

"AGHLH!"

Shaheen's strength lifted the man off his feet as his legs flailed wildly in defiance. He managed to plant his feet back on the ground, but Shaheen swept his foot and the two of them fell backwards. Shaheen fell against the floor on his back and the man collapsed on top of him, the life still being squeezed out of him. He flailed a few more times before giving out a last long breath and going limp.

"AGHHHhhhhhhhhh..."

Shaheen then did the same exact thing to this sleeping assassin that he did to the first one, tying him up with his own tie. Four to go.

Unfortunately, that guy didn't go into the gift shop alone.

CLICK-CLACK!

Shaheen could hear the gun cock; he quickly spun around and was met with a barrel pointing at his chest.

"You're done, prettybo-"

Shaheen seized the arm and quickly twisted around, then raised the man's arm above his shoulder and cranked the wrist.

"OWWWW!"

Shaheen witnessed his fingers go outright, and the gun fall to the floor. Shaheen finished the job by sweeping his foot and completing an over-the-shoulder flip, throwing the man to the ground but keeping his wrist locked tight. When the man was flat on his back, Shaheen raised his fist and brought it hard against his forehead. Since his head had nowhere to go, the force of the blow rendered him asleep instantly.

Three to go.

"The beach...!"

Shaheen figured there must be at least two more there, to scour the length of the beach on the chance Chloe might be there. Shaheen immediately sprinted out there to intercept them.

Sure enough, there were two more of the assassins, one on each end of the beach. One was scouting the waters, the other was looking at all of the towels, the men and women laying on them, as well as the children playing with sand. In the presence of so many swimsuits, the men in black stood out like a broken bone protruding from a leg.

Shaheen rushed the one on the left end of the beach first; he had to hurry while his back was turned!

The man was looking out into the waters when Shaheen plowed into him from behind. Shaheen's speed and strength allowed him to easily tackle the man at the legs and send him facefirst into the sand. Because they were close to the water, the sand was nice and muddy.

Shaheen rolled him over, exposing his now-completely-muddy face, grabbed him by the shirt and delivered a slashing horizontal elbow to his head. The peak of Shaheen's elbow impacted perfectly against his temple, knocking him out instantly.

Shaheen immediately turned his attention to the other assassin on the other side of the beach. Not bothering to pace himself, Shaheen sprinted full throttle towards him, huffing and puffing as his leg muscles put in extra work. Unfortunately, Shaheen's lack of stealth got the man's attention.

"What the hell...?!"

Shaheen threw a flying kick to his face, knocking him on his back. Shaheen immediately went down to the ground with him, mounting him and covering his mouth and nose with his hand.

"MMMPH MMMPH! MMMHPHHHMPHHHH!"

Shaheen softened him up with two hard punches to the liver; that immediately caused him to stop resisting. His muffled voice became a pathetic moan as his body flailed and wriggled and begged for air. But Shaheen kept his mouth and nose tightly constricted until finally his eyes rolled backwards and he went limp.

One to go.

Shaheen quickly sprinted back to the main part of the park. He had to stop and catch his breath; his lungs were burning now from the strenuous effort began to take its toll on his insides. He could feel the fermentation taking place, draining his body of its strength as his breaths were hard and long.

"Huff...huff... gotta...get...Chloe...out of...here..."

Shaheen took a deep breath and sprinted towards the pools, where the largest water slide of the whole park resided. Chloe wanted to go there first, so hopefully she was still in that general vicinity.

"CHLOE!" Shaheen screamed. He shoved his way past the park-goers and rushed towards the pools. And there he saw her: she was sitting underneath a cabana, sipping a fruity drink.

"Shaheen! There you are, nya!" she cried out, grinning and waving.

Shaheen ran over there to her and then hunched over, taking several long gasps of air.

"Wow Shaheen, you need to work on your cardio." Chloe teased. "Hey, while you're here, can you hold onto these barrettes for me?"

"Shut up and come with me!" Shaheen commanded.

"Wha...? H-hey, let go of me, nya!"

Shaheen snatched her by the arm and started dragging her away from the pools, causing a huge scene as Chloe fought against him the whole way.

"NOOOOO! I DON'T! WANNA! GOOOOOO!"

Shaheen continued dragging her; he would have explained that the men she fired had come back to kill her, but he was so tired from running and fighting that he couldn't even form the words to make that explanation. Having to struggle against Chloe was taking an even harder toll on him.

Suddenly, a big meaty hand grabbed Shaheen and pulled him backwards.

"Hey! Leave her alone, punk!" the ignorant bystander spat. Shaheen looked at him; he wasn't one of the assassins. He was just a man from the nearby pool, who must have thought Shaheen was assaulting Chloe.

"Huff...huff... beat it... pal..." Shaheen panted.

"You better get out of here before I call the cops!" he threatened.

"Ummm... excuse me, nya." Chloe tried to chime in. But the man didn't listen.

Shaheen got in his face. "This is none of you business, ignorant fool!"

The man responded by punching Shaheen in the gut.

"OOF!"

Shaheen was so tired from running all over the park that he took the blow and fell to his knees. The man stood over him, obviously pleased with himself for standing up for Chloe like that.

"Now get lost before you get it again, creep!"

"Shaheen! Are you okay?" Chloe cried.

The "chivalrous" man was a little confused when Chloe ran over to Shaheen and started comforting him. But his attention was abruptly brought elsewhere when he witnessed a man in black approach the two of them from behind.

"THAT MAN'S GOT A GUN!"

"EEEEEEEK!"

"TAKE COVER!"

Shaheen heard the cries of terror and immediately tackled Chloe, shielding her from any potential bullets. The next thing he saw was his vision go blurry and the entire world spin... and then... darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

_**"Shaheen...wake up."**_

Shaheen's eyes opened, and they quickly scanned the environment. But... something was different. No longer were there the vast waves of blue, the white foam, the brown sand, the colorful attractions, the smiling faces of park-goers... all he could see was red. An endless, red abyss...

 _ **"Welcome to your new home."**_

Shaheen struggled to get to his feet. When he finally was upright, he noticed the ground was softer than usual; it felt like... desert sand?

"What the... am I in the desert? I..."

Shaheen tried to walk forward, but the crimson winds were too intense. Everywhere he looked... endless, swirling, redness... it was a place devoid of life.

"Where am I?!"

In his confusion, all he could do was fall to his knees and cry out for one person: the only person who was with him, the only person who could answer his questions... the only person who could restore his sanity.

"CHLOE! WHERE ARE YOU!"

 _ **"Chloe's not here yet. Her time will come soon, though. It's just us now, Shaheen. Welcome to Hell."**_

"Wh-what...did you... say?" Shaheen coughed. After a minute of no response, he angrily rose back to his feet.

"WHO'S OUT THERE!"

 _ **"Shaheen, sweetie... will you be joining us for dinner?"**_ a female voice asked.

Shaheen's eyes widened. "Wh-who...? M-Mrs. Al-Hassan?"

As soon as he called out her name, the winds blew the sands upright and suddenly, a woman appeared. It was as he called her: the wife of the man who was once his best friend.

 _ **"Luckily for you, I cooked extra. I knew you would be joining us tonight."**_

"What's going on?" Shaheen asked. "If you're here, then..."

 _ **"Go ahead. Say my name."**_ the male voice from before called out.

"F...Faraj!"

As soon as his name was uttered, the desert sands swirled and Faraj Al-Hassan appeared out of nowhere. They both had a face of neither joy nor sorrow... just solemn.

 _ **"I've missed you so much, my brother."**_ Faraj said, his voice showing little signs of emotion.

"I-I've missed you too... both of you... every day without you has been a sad day on Earth." Shaheen replied. "But, where are your children?"

 _ **"Children? Children don't belong in this place, Shaheen."**_ Mrs. Al-Hassan replied. _**"Children are still pure of heart; they ascended to Heaven never knowing the sins of humans. But we weren't so fortunate."**_

"But why are you here? You were good people, both of you!" Shaheen cried.

 _ **"Yes... we were."**_ Faraj replied. _**"My wife and me... we helped you always. Whenever you needed to make ends meet, I was there to loan you the money. When you needed a place to lay your head at night, we gave you our couch. When you wanted a hot meal, a warm, friendly environment, a family... we provided you with those comforts."**_

"Then why... why are you here? Why am I here?" Shaheen asked.

 _ **"Because our souls are never allowed to rest!**_ Faraj boomed. _**"You're here because you failed to fulfill your Earthly duty... your destiny! And we're here because our hatred for you keeps our souls bound here!"**_

"What...hatred?"

 _ **"YOU FAILED US, SHAHEEN! You allowed yourself to be seduced by that she-devil, and it blinded you from your righteous path! You were supposed to strike down that hellspawn Kazuya Mishima... to avenge our deaths! But now you're dead... you died protecting that worthless bitch!"**_

The desert sands blew past, and suddenly Faraj appeared right in front of Shaheen.

"A-ahh!"

Faraj angrily drew his fist back and unleashed it on Shaheen's cheek, knocking him to the ground.

 _ **"I gave you everything, my brother! I was your only friend! I was the closest thing you had to family! This is how you repay me?! By keeping our souls trapped in Hell for all eternity?!"**_

"You don't understand...she needed my help!" Shaheen spat. "She's just as lonely in this world as I am! And I...I couldn't just leave her!"

 _ **"Who do you care more about: her or me? Well, I guess that question has been answered. Instead of fulfilling your duty and killing Kazuya Mishima, you gave your life for someone you met in one day!"**_

"Well... she says I don't have the eyes of a killer!" Shaheen replied, shoving Faraj back. "I don't fight to kill people, I fight to protect! That's what I've been doing! Protecting Chloe's life... and her happiness."

 _ **"And what has she done for you that I HAVEN'T?"**_

"...She's being a friend to me now that you're gone." Shaheen replied softly. "She's helping me cope with my... my demons."

 _ **"...You are a fool, my friend. Your path has been corrupted."**_ Faraj said softly, shaking his head. He put a hand on Shaheen's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

 _ **"...You're so lucky. You get to go back."**_

"Wha...?"

 _ **"Your time here in Hell was only temporary, my brother. You were only brought here so you could see us... see the pain you're causing us while you waste time with that girl. As long as Kazuya Mishima draws breath, my soul and the soul of my wife can never rest in peace."**_

Faraj fell to his knees and grabbed Shaheen's pant leg. Shaheen could see the blood-red tears streaming from his eyes.

 _ **"Please... please let us see our kids again in Heaven. Don't leave us down here... to suffer for all eternity. Please, Shaheen... I've done so much for you... please do this one thing for me."**_

"Faraj..."

Shaheen gasped when the desert winds suddenly blew him away. He looked into the distance and saw his wife get blown away as well. And then... he was sinking.

"G-gaaah!"

Shaheen looked down at his feet: they were submerged in the sand. He was slowly going down: calves, knees, thighs, abdomen... he was being swallowed!

"AHH! AH! AAAH! AAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Shaheen's head sunk below the crimson sands... and he was once again met with never-ending darkness.

"...Hey, I think he's coming around."

"Sir? Sir, can you talk?"

Shaheen's eyes opened and he was met by two faces: one was a friendly female face and one was the smiling face of a man. The female was wearing a blue nurse's outfit, and the man had a white coat.

"Oh thank heavens, he's back with us!"

The man extended his hand and placed it gently on Shaheen's shoulder.

"What's your name, friend?"

Shaheen blinked a few times, still adjusting to the sudden awakening. "Sh...Shaheen."

"Well, Shaheen... you're a hero, son."

Shaheen rubbed his eyes. "A hero? What?"

"You saved a popular Japanese popstar from a deadly gunman!"

Shaheen put his hand to the back of his head. "Ugh... my head hurts. What happened?"

"Well, according to eyewitnesses, you dived on top of her to protect her from the gun, and the assailant pistol-whipped you on the back of the head. You were unconscious for quite some time."

Shaheen rubbed his eyes a few more times before abruptly asking "Where is she?!"

"She's waiting outside for you. I'm sure she'd like to thank you for your heroic deed, sir! I'll let her know you're awake!"

The doctor and nurse walked away, leaving Shaheen alone with his thoughts. His immediate thoughts were about the strange visit he just had... surely that was all in his head, right? Faraj was there... and his wife... and they were both angry at him. They were angry because he was here, and not on his way to Kazuya Mishima. But... did they really hate him for not avenging their deaths quicker?

The door opened and in came Lucky Chloe, wearing just her bikini, a towel tied around her waist, and a t-shirt from the gift shop. She must not have been able to locate her clothes, so she improvised.

"Shaheen! Oh wowie, thank goodness you're awake!"

Chloe dived onto the bed and hugged Shaheen, eliciting a groan from the hospitalized man.

"Ugggh... you're still damp."

"Y-yeah, sorry about that nya. I just came as quickly as possible."

Shaheen rubbed his head and looked down at her. "I don't need to be in a hospital. Can you please get me out of here?"

Chloe's face curved to sadness. "...You probably don't want to stay with me anymore, do you? You must hate me now for keeping you here."

Shaheen rolled his eyes and gently stroked Chloe's damp hair. "Don't be stupid. It's not your fault I got hit in the head."

Chloe laid her head down against Shaheen's chest. "...I'll buy your airplane tickets now if you want." she pouted.

Shaheen sighed. "...I just want to go back to your suite, okay? I want to lay in bed, order some room service... maybe a damned bottle of something strong. I just need some time... to think about things."

Chloe poked her head up and grinned. "Well, while you're staying here thinking about things... is it okay if I accidentally have some fun?"

Shaheen grinned. "You seem to find fun in pretty much everything, so whatever. Just get me the hell out of this hospital, please."

After everything was said and done, it was already getting close to evening. Chloe managed to get Shaheen out of the hospital, catch a cab and head back to Chloe's suite. As the sky began to darken with a beautiful orange hue, all Shaheen could think about was laying on Chloe's king-sized bed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh... that's better." Shaheen grunted. He stretched a little, causing more grunts. "Oooogh, I'm aching all over from having to hunt down those deranged ex-security guards."

Before Chloe went into the bathroom, Shaheen managed to stop her. "Hey, what happened to them anyway?"

Chloe stopped. She didn't look Shaheen in the eye, but she happily exclaimed "Oh, they were taken into custody, nya!"

"Hm... well at least they'll get their due punishment."

"...Y-yeah. Okay... gonna go change now."

As the door slammed, Shaheen kicked off his shoes and stretched out one more time, embracing the feeling of the soft pillow against the back of his head. He knew that his journey was one of confusion and turmoil... but right now he could at least forget it for a little while and enjoy this lovely bed.

The door opened again and out came Chloe, wearing a light pink nightgown that rested just a bit below her thighs. She had a towel in her hair; it took a while to dry since it was so long. She plopped onto the side of the bed adjacent to Shaheen and let out a relaxed sigh, stretching her milky white legs and curling her cute little toes.

"Ahhhhhhhhh~"

She rolled over on her side, facing Shaheen. "So? How about room service?"

Shaheen grabbed the remote. "First, I wanna watch the news."

As soon as he hit the power button, it was already on the local Dubai news channel. A dramatic theme song was played before a woman started speaking.

 **"Our top story of the evening: calamity at the water park! Six armed suspects were-"**

But Chloe quickly snatched the remote and changed the channel. "Please! I don't wanna hear about this anymore, nya. Do you? Seriously?"

Shaheen put his hands behind his head. "Well, you do have a point. Fine, whatever."

The two of them just relaxed against their respective pillows and enjoyed the silence of the moment. It had been a long day for both of them, in good ways and bad. Unfortunately... neither of them came out of this unscathed. Right now, Chloe wanted to forget this day as much as Shaheen did.

They ordered some Indian food later on, and then Shaheen made a special request: two six-bottle cases of his favorite Arabian beer. It was eventually delivered to him, and that was probably the best news he had gotten the whole day. If his mind wouldn't rest on its own, he was going to put it to sleep manually.

Chloe sat on her knees and stared with curiosity as Shaheen popped open the cap with his combat knife and started gulping the sudsy golden contents. She was amazed by how easily he was able to stomach it; she had always heard beer was disgusting, but Shaheen made it look like the best thing in the world.

"...Hey, umm... is that good, nya?"

Shaheen looked down at her. "Of course it is."

As he attempted to put the bottle back to his lips, Chloe interrupted him.

"Ummm... do you think I could try one of those, nya?"

Shaheen, mid-sip, raised an eyebrow and stared at her. Chloe replied with a bashful grin. "Cmooon... you don't care, do you? You won't tell on me, nya?"

Shaheen rolled his eyes, reached over and grabbed a fresh bottle. "Well you paid for it, so I don't care. Knock yourself out."

Chloe's eyes widened like a kid with a new toy. "Ooooh thank you! Nya!"

"Here, let me help you with that."

Shaheen stuck his knife in the crevasse where the bottlecap met the top, and pried the cap off with a POP! He then handed the bottle to Chloe, who accepted it with both hands much like someone holding something in their hands for the first time. She put the bottle to her lips and let the bitter liquid rush down her thought.

Shaheen watched her, his eyes full of curiosity as he awaited her reaction. It did not disappoint.

"BLEEEEH! This stuff is yucky! NYA!"

Chloe coughed a few times, sticking her tongue out to emphasize the unpleasant flavor. Shaheen, much to Chloe's surprise, failed to hold back a laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha! I should have told you that beer is an acquired taste." he said with a slight grin.

Chloe blinked at him. "What's that mean, nya?"

"It means that it gets better the more you drink it."

"Hmmm... very well then. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"

"Wha...?"

Six empty bottles later, Chloe was acting much differently. No longer was she her usual, bubbly self; she was all that, PLUS being barely able to stand or form a coherent sentence.

"Hee hee.. hahahaha wooooooo~" she slurred, stumbling around the large hotel room and falling over several times.

"Ch-Chloe... I think... s-six is enough..." Shaheen stuttered. He himself had just finished his fifth bottle. There was only one left between them.

"Heh heh and th-then... this was m-my next, next dance I was gonna introduce in my next show..." Chloe slurred. "I call it... WHEEEEEEEEE!"

The dance looked nothing like a dance; she merely spun around one time, lost her footing, fell and hit the soft arm of the couch.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"I'm...I'm... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA... nya~"

Chloe rolled around a few times like she was on fire, then quickly sprang back to her feet and stumbled forward a few yards. The bed managed to stop her advance, as she flopped forward onto the mattress.

"Wooo... wowieeee... h-hey you were *hic* r-right Shnaneeen... Sh...Sh..Shwhan...Shwaneen... it does get better~"

"See... I told you... heh heh..." Shaheen chuckled. He clutched his head, which was no longer in pain, but was buzzing like an angry hive. It was a pleasant alternative, for sure.

Chloe crawled next to Shaheen on the bed and started giggling wildly, flailing her feet in the air.

"And this is my next dance... I call it... I Can't Feel My F***ing Feet! Tee hee! Oops... I shouldn't say that word... hey, that's a good song name! I Can't Feel My... Blankety Blank Feet! NYA!"

Chloe rolled over on top of Shaheen's leg. "D-d-don't tell my mommy I said that word... pleeeeeeeease~"

Shaheen looked down at her. "...Your mother?"

And then, like the snap of a finger, the flip of a light switch... Chloe started crying all over Shaheen's pant leg. He started becoming soaked with a combination of tears, saliva and snot as Chloe wailed loudly like a baby that had his favorite toy taken away.

"HEY! Why the hell are you crying?" Shaheen blurted, his voice a bit more aggressive than usual. He didn't mean for it to; it just kind of came out that way.

"I...I...I...my life just *sniff* sucks! WAAAAAAAH!" Chloe wailed.

"Well... it can't be that bad."

"BUT IT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!"

"Okay... well just tell me about it."

Chloe didn't respond with words, but with a volley of sobs and sniffles.

"Ch-Chloe...?"

More sniffles.

"STOP CRYING!"

"...Okay."

Chloe's face suddenly stopped producing tears, as if Shaheen had given some kind of voice command. She got off of Shaheen and rolled over to her side of the bed, laying flat on her back.

"This is all just a facade, *hic* Shaheen..." she slurred.

"What do you mean?"

"My happy, cheery personality... it's j-just... *hic* it's just to hide my pain..."

Shaheen rolled over on his side to look at her. "...What pain?"

Chloe rolled over on her side, and her eyes met his. "...I'm all alone in this word... lonely little ol Chloe..."

"You're not alone. I'm here." Shaheen replied.

"But you have to go away soon! And then it'll just be me again... never had a mom or dad... always had to fend for myself... no friends to help me..."

Chloe rolled back over to stare at the ceiling. "This job... is all I have in the world. I have no manager, no crew... I don't even know how to drive a car. Without this contract deal... I have nothing. NOTHING..."

"You're not gonna lose your job." Shaheen replied. "You're extremely talented. Everyone looks at you with admiration. Whatever company you've signed a partnership with, they'd be foolish to let someone as beautiful and popular as you go."

Chloe wiped a few tears away. "I just... feel like a bad person sometimes. Sometimes I...I do icky things... just to get by."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Please, don't ask me."

Shaheen rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. But seriously, girl, I think you've just had too much tonight. Everything is fine, okay? You're not alone."

"...But you got hurt because of me today. If I hadn't kept you here... you must be wishing you had never saved me from that mob."

A passing silence filled the room as Shaheen thought of the words to say. His mind was a coin, spinning around on a table, desperate to finally land on one side or the other. It was hard to know what he really wanted... so at that moment, he shut off his brain and let his heart dictate his next words:

"I don't know what I should do right now. While I was unconscious, I saw a vision... it was Faraj and his wife. They were unhappy with me, because I was here with you instead of pursuing vengeance. I don't know what is right and wrong, what path will lead to salvation..."

He reached over and took Chloe's tiny hand, squeezing it gently.

"But I do know one thing... protecting you today felt more right than anything else has felt lately."

Chloe's tears spilled over, leaking down her cheeks as she squeezed Shaheen's hand.

"You're the best friend I've ever had..." she whispered. "You're...you...you're...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."

Shaheen felt Chloe's grip loosen; he looked over and she was out like a light, softly breathing. Deciding that that wasn't a bad idea, he joined in and closed his eyes. Sleep overtook him minutes later.

 **MEANWHILE, IN A HOTEL DOWNTOWN...**

 **"Our top story of the evening: calamity at the water park! Six armed suspects were taken into custody today after threatening a pop star at a popular water park. The victim was well-known J-Pop star Lucky Chloe, who many know as the official mascot of G Corporation after signing a partnership with them. There was one injury and one death: a brave bystander dived on top of her to protect her, and was struck on the head by one of the suspects. Lucky Chloe then managed to swipe the suspect's gun and fatally shoot him in the stomach and chest. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead minutes later. The brave bystander made a full recovery, suffering only a minor head injury, and was released from the hospital earlier today. He elected not to have his name revealed."**

"That crazy bitch! She's more dangerous than I thought!" a man in black shouted, bringing his fist down on the nearby lamp table. "She actually killed him! She f***ing killed Gamo!"

"We gotta avenge his death! We can't let this go unpunished!" another man in black agreed.

"Haven't you idiots done enough?"

The five ex-security guards turned and faced the mysterious figure, standing in the corner. He was wearing standard-issue Tekken Force combat armor, black with green patterns running through it. He also had a black helmet laying next to his feet, with glowy green eyes. This indicated he was a higher rank than normal, as usual Tekken Force grunts wore black and red armor.

"R-right... sorry, Lieutenant Kaname." the man said with a humble bow. "Thanks again for getting us out of jail."

The soldier sneered, running a finger across his stubble. "Hmph... that girl is more dangerous than I expected. I knew she wasn't completely helpless, but I didn't expect her to be able to overpower a man holding her at gunpoint. Or perhaps that just speaks of your competency, you useless buffoons."

"B-buffoons? Hey! We are highly trained G Corporation security guards!" one of them spat.

"Not anymore you're not." Kaname retorted. "You've betrayed your company by coming to me like this. I gave you the simplest of tasks... kill the girl and the Mishima Zaibatsu would gladly pay you a hefty sum and even enlist you in our ranks. But you've proven to me that you're not worthy of joining our glorious reborn empire."

"B-but cmon! She had help!"

"She did, did she? Then why have none of you been able to identify this man?"

"Because we didn't get a good enough look at him!"

"Then as far as I'm concerned, you all failed to kill one little girl."

"B-but..."

"SILENCE! If Mr. Heihachi were here, he would snap your worthless necks!"

The five of them all recoiled in fear, taking a few nervous steps back.

The lieutenant grinned crookedly. "Yes... Mr. Mishima would never allow such worthless insects such as yourselves within our reformed ranks. Perhaps I should do our master a favor and terminate you right now."

"Wh-what? N-n-no! You said you would allow us to speak with Heihachi if we killed the girl! Just give us another chance!"

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Mishima is far too busy for the likes of you. And so am I, G CORP SCUM!"

"NOOOOOO-"

Their pleas were silenced by gunfire, as Kaname drew his handgun with utmost speed and precision and dropped them all with a headshot. His aim and speed was impeccable, as all five of them fell to the ground limp with a tiny red hole in their foreheads.

After taking a minute to admire his handiwork, Lieutenant Kaname grinned and holstered his weapon.

"Sorry... but I won't let you punks have the pleasure. I will deliver Lucky Chloe's head to Mr. Mishima, and finally I will get the respect I've longed for!"

 **I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful support I've gotten with this fic. Thanks to my loyal readers dunkingman, DaMastah101, the Truth, and the rest of you. And special mention to PurpleCobra: I've never shown my appreciation before, but you've always been there too. So thanks!**

 **Next: A new threat arises! Hell hath no fury like a soldier disgruntled!**


	7. Chapter 7

**For the second chapter in a row, I got six reviews. This is great! Thank you all, and let's keep that number going! The plot is starting to pick up now, as I figure things out. I don't have an end in sight yet, but as my loyal readers well know, I don't like to get caught up in a fic too long. We'll just see how things go.**

 **This is the longest chapter yet. Enjoy the suspense and fluff.**

Shaheen didn't sleep very well that night. He was haunted by the images of his loved ones, hating him, cursing his name... commanding him to kill Kazuya Mishima in their name. It was hard to hear for a man like Shaheen, who was gentle at heart and wished for no bloodshed. But the real headscratcher was... could that all have been real? He had taken a pretty hard blow to the head, so it's an easy theory that he was seeing things. But if that was real... they were suffering in Hell right now, their souls unable to move on as long as Kazuya was still alive. If he were to ever face Kazuya, confront him man to man... could he draw his sword and finish the job? What would Chloe think... would she still have the same feelings towards a cold-blooded murderer?

Chloe didn't sleep much that night either, as she was suffering from her own demons. She was forced to kill that man yesterday, her ex-security guard who turned on her to side with the Mishima Zaibatsu. It wasn't the first time, either. Though she signed with them to be their marketing gimmick, the terms of the contract called for Chloe to be considered a full-fledged G Corp operative. She was forced to undergo basic training, plus she already knew how to fight. At times, when the numbers were shorthanded, she was called away from her cozy singing career in order to do battle with the Mishima Zaibatsu. She was just one of G Corporation's secret weapons.

Chloe hated that part of herself: the part who would participate in a war just to have an easy life. It was the price to pay for having her finances taken care of, having constant protection, being catered to hand-and-foot, and most importantly... being able to do what she loves all around the world. But now, she found something else that she loved... a man who showed her compassion, who treated her like a friend instead of a soldier or a false idol. To keep Shaheen happy, Chloe hoped she would never have to tell him about the other life she lived. After all of her preaching about the good in him, it would feel ironic if he knew she herself was a killer.

On top of this swirling torrent of dilemmas... they both had awful headaches.

"Uggggggh..."

Shaheen was the first one to wake up that afternoon. He was immediately hit with a double dose of pain: from the hangover and from the back of his head where the pistol struck him. Even if he had decided to get revenge on Kazuya, now would be a horrible day for it. Laying in bed felt like a much better alternative.

Chloe's eyes opened and she was immediately stricken with the same rushing pain to her head. A bad sleep and a hangover were two parts of a very painful and unpleasant whole. As much as she wanted to get out and have fun with Shaheen in the city... it was going to take some willpower to just get on her feet.

"I second that uggggggh..." Chloe replied.

Shaheen rolled over and looked into Chloe's dark, baggy eyes. "You feeling like crap too?"

Chloe rubbed her bloodshot eyes. "Yeah... nya."

Chloe yawned and stretched, then sat up in the bed. She looked over at Shaheen.

"Hey, um... I'm sorry again about yesterday. Th-the water park..."

Shaheen got out of bed and stretched. "Hey, it's not your fault. Look, that's all over with now. Let's focus on today, okay?"

Chloe replied with a smile. "Okay, nya!"

Against the throbbing pain, Chloe and Shaheen decided to start their day with a shower. Chloe went first, while Shaheen did some morning exercises; since the suite was huge, there was plenty of room.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of an adjacent building, an operation was underway. Lieutenant Kaname and his unit were camped on the building, their equipment set up all over the place. One of the grunts, clad in standard red and black, was wielding a pair of infrared binoculars.

"Okay... Kaede, see what you can find." Kaname ordered, his voice a bit muffled by his black and green helmet.

"Roger that." the man with the binoculars replied.

The grunt removed his helmet and put the binoculars to his eyes, then aimed them at the suite and began scanning the room from top to bottom in search of heat signatures. His eyebrow raised when the first thing he spotted was a large, buff figure, doing pushups.

"I've got one heat signature!" he announced.

"Is it the objective?"

"No... it's some guy."

"What? A guy? Are you sure?"

"Hey, it's a big tough male, okay? I know what the female body looks like."

"Give me those!" Lieutenant Kaname spat, snatching the binoculars out of his man's hand. He removed his helmet and put them to his eyes, scanning the room personally. He grimaced when he saw the same heat signature as his man did.

"Shit... that can only mean those G Corp idiots were telling the truth."

"Sir?"

"They were going on about some guy ambushing them and kicking their asses. It looks like Lucky Chloe has hired a new bodyguard."

"Just one man?" one of the soldiers asked.

"A man who took down five armed gunmen."

Lieutenant Kaname watched for a few more seconds until suddenly his eyes widened. He saw a new slender, female-shaped heat signature appear in a nearby room. She was holding a towel, drying herself off.

"That's the target!" he exclaimed.

"Shall we move in on them, sir?"

"No... we need a plan. Alright, FORM UP!"

The men all shouldered their weapons and gathered around their commanding officer as he stood up straight and cleared his throat. He kept his helmet off so they could all hear his voice clearly.

"AHEM! Okay, listen up... this is not your moment of glory. This is MINE. I've been in the Mishima Zaibatsu long before that whelp Jin Kazama took over. I've loyally served Mr. Heihachi across the most distant plains, the deadliest of battlefields, the greatest victories, and the most demoralizing defeats."

His fists clenched around his rifle as his teeth bared.

"But still... STILL he does not acknowledge me! For far too long I've been in this man's army, and I have nothing to show for it. There have been no stunning victories, no actions worthy of a medal or a promotion. Even now, when I awaited his return to the throne, I'm still not rewarded for my loyalty."

He raised his gun high in the air and looked up at the clouds.

"But now, my opportunity is here! All we have to do is kill Lucky Chloe, the vile face of our greatest enemy the G Corporation. Her face inspires fame, notoriety, loyalty and support of the G Corporation. Her beautiful teal eyes, majestic golden hair, and singing and dancing talent are the tools of evil that keep the foundation of G Corp's barbaric company alive and strong!"

He lowered his tone a bit, bringing his gun back down to earth and looking into his men's eyes once again.

"That is why we will be the ones to bring her down. We will disfigure the face of G Corporation, and their publicity will be tarnished. Their overwhelming support from the awestruck masses will diminish. And we, my loyal men, will be responsible for this crushing blow to their morale. Mr. Heihachi will reward us greatly for our efforts! ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

Lieutenant Kaname's words were met with a thunderous whoop from the brave men who stood firmly by his side and shared his beliefs. The response warmed his cold, black heart, and put a smile on his lips.

"Very good, all of you. Now then, let's get down to business. Kaede, you're gonna be our eyes. Stay here on the rooftop and keep us posted on any movement.

"Yes sir."

"Gomo, Naito, Sakuraba, Ukita, you four will hit the hotel. Zipline across to the rooftop, and rappel into the suite on the top floor. Don't smash the window; use your glass-cutting tools."

"Roger!"

"Akashi, I want your scope on the hotel at all times. If the target escapes the suite, circle around to the left side so you can get a bead on the entrance. Kaede will spot for you."

"Right!"

"OOOH! What can I do?"

Lieutenant Kaname groaned when he heard a very familiar, annoying female voice. He turned around and saw his last soldier eagerly hopping up and down. She wasn't dressed like the others: she was wearing a smaller suit of white and red Tekken Force combat armor, standard for female soldiers. Her white helmet had a pair of glowy pink eyes.

"...You can shut up and stay here with me. Be thankful I'm even letting you suit up."

"Awwww! B-but... that's not fair. Aw, I think I'm gonna cry..."

"SOLDIERS DON'T CRY!"

"B-but you said I wasn't a soldie-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT I SAID! As long as you are under my command, you will follow my orders and not cry like a baby. AM. I. CLEAR?!"

The female soldier looked down at her feet meekly. "Y-yes sir."

"Was that a sniffle I just heard?"

"N-no!"

"No what?"

"No sir! Not a sniffle, sir!"

"Gah, useless bimbo... why did she have to be assigned to my unit..."

Lieutenant Kaname flicked his hand and scoffed, turning back around to face the hotel. "Kaede, what's the situation?"

"I just lost the man's heat signature! He must have stepped in the shower!"

Kaname's sickening grin spread across his lips. "Excellent. Commence the operation!"

One of the soldiers, known as Ukita, brandished a grappling gun and aimed it near the top of the hotel. He crouched down to one knee and pulled the trigger, unleashing a harpoon that soared forward at blazing speed and penetrated the concrete of the building.

"Detaching cable!"

The soldier ejected the cable from the barrel of the gun, revealing the other end of it, which was to be securely fastened to a solid object. Kaname snatched the other end and handed it to the inexperienced female soldier.

"Here. Make yourself useful. Tie it around that metal pipe. And make sure it's TIGHT, do you understand?"

She fumbled it in her hands a little, but then quickly regained her posture and saluted. "Yes sir!"

The young lady approached the metal pipe and secured the cable to it as best she could. She knew next to nothing about this sort of thing, but she had no choice but to follow orders if she wanted a future in the Tekken Force. She could only pray that things worked out smoothly.

"Cable secured, sir!" she saluted.

"Okay! You four, commence the assault! Breach and clear Chloe's suite! Leave no one alive!"

Ukita and Naito were the first two to volunteer. With no fear, they boldly leaped onto the cable and commenced to ziplining across to the other building which housed their primary target. Unfortunately, their courage got the better of their logic; it generally wasn't a good idea to have more than one man on the cable at a time. That harsh lesson was coupled with the fact that the soldier in charge of securing the cable was not even a soldier: she was an unpaid intern.

Ukita and Naito would never know what caused the cable to give out: their combined body weight or a poor job of securing the other end.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH..."

Their bodies descended to the pavement and impacted with a THUD! killing them instantly.

For a few minutes, the Lieutenant had to stand perfectly still as his brain processed the reality of what just happened before his eyes. His brain was busy deducing the truth, trying to convince his eyes that what they just witnessed wasn't his imagination. When that reality finally passed through... all he could do was fall to his knees.

The remaining members of his squad gathered around him, awaiting further instruction. They all wanted to place a hand on his shoulder and console him, but they knew that even the most honeyed words wouldn't appease his traumatized psyche right now. The girl was smart enough to keep her distance, however; not only was she scared of her commanding officer's wrath... she was currently drowning in her own helmet.

"...Sir?" one of them boldly asked.

Kaname finally let out a long, tired, defeated sigh. "...We're done for the day. Pack it up and RTB."

As his men gathered their equipment, Kaname looked down at the ground below, where two human-shaped craters lie. All he could do was sigh again.

"Now I know why Mr. Heihachi doesn't acknowledge me... I have the worst f***ing unit in the whole Tekken Force."

 **BACK IN THE SUITE**

Lucky Chloe finished getting dressed: she was wearing an adorable navy blue miniskirt, a white t-shirt with pink sleeves and pink logos on it, a pair of pink and white socks that went all the way up her shins and rested just a few inches below her knees, coupled with tennis shoes. Her hair was in its usual pigtails, and she chose to wear her cat-ear headphones this time. Since her face looked so terrible from lack of sleep and getting drunk last night, she decided to doll up her face with some serious makeup. It was impossible for such a cute girl like her to be called ugly, but she still wanted to make sure anyway; if nothing else, she wanted to look good for Shaheen.

Meanwhile, Shaheen had finished getting his own shower. He emerged from the bathroom, wearing a new pair of jeans, his brown shoes, and a light olive-colored short-sleeve collar shirt. Unlike the last one, the buttons went from top to bottom on this shirt. Since Chloe seemed to like it that way, Shaheen left the top buttons undone to show off a little of his muscular chest.

"So, how do I look~?" Chloe asked, giving a little twirl.

"Heh, not bad for a lightweight who had six beers in a row." Shaheen teased.

Chloe stuck out her tongue at him. "Hmph, well I clean up nicer than you nya!"

Shaheen scoffed at her retort... but he knew she was right. His eyes were still bloodshot, darkened with bags under them. Luckily, he had something to remedy this; he grabbed a pair of black sunglasses from his bag and put them on, followed by a dark green cap on his head. He looked pretty intimidating to Chloe, but she liked it anyway.

"Wait. I'm not going out without this." Shaheen declared. He approached the corner of the room, where he had left his scimitar laying since he first arrived. He hooked the scabbard onto his belt, checking to make sure it was secure. He also decided to put the combat knife underneath his pant leg, as he did yesterday, just to be double safe.

When he was finished, he turned to Chloe. "Now how do I look?"

Chloe winked at him. "I wouldn't want to mess with you, nya~"

Shaheen grinned slightly. "Good. Let's hope everyone else feels the same way."

Since they both woke up in the afternoon, they decided to settle on a little brunch. Afterwards, Chloe wanted to go shopping. Of course, having a big burly man at her side meant Shaheen would have to temporarily suspend his bodyguard duties in favor of being Chloe's human shopping cart. The torture of carrying her bags was coupled with the utter nuisance of being littered with hundreds of questions about fashion that he didn't know nor care about. For whatever reason, Chloe felt the need to appoint Shaheen as her adviser; she didn't make a single decision without consulting him first.

"Do you think these earrings are pretty?"

"Yeah... but expensive."

"Hey, smell this. Does it smell good to you?"

"Y-yeah... excuse me-ACHOO!"

"Do you think this shirt is too large?"

"...Probably."

"Do you think this underwear would look cute on me~?"

"Why would you ask me that?!"

The only solace in the situation was that Chloe was the one with the checkbook. After she bought and paid for about 90% of the clothing store they had just assaulted, they made their way back to the apartment to quickly drop everything off.

"Cmon Shaheen! Put your back into it, nya!" Chloe shouted.

Shaheen was bringing up the rear, clad in bags full of women accessories head to toe. It felt pretty similar to his sandbag exercises that he would commonly do back home. But the torture of carrying bags was still shadowed by the sharp pain in his head. At this point, Shaheen was wondering if it was the hangover... or if it was some otherworldly force haunting him. Maybe Faraj was sending him a message, telling him to stop wasting his time with Chloe and go avenge his death already.

Shaheen finally caught up to Chloe just in time for the girl to unlock the suite door and open it. He immediately stumbled into the room and crashed on the bed, eliciting a giggle from Chloe.

"Oh you drama queen, hee hee!" Chloe teased.

"Shut...up. I am NOT in the mood to be teased." Shaheen retorted.

"Aw cmon, don't treat me like that..." she pouted.

Shaheen put his hand to his head and groaned. "I'm sorry... it's not you. It's just... my damned head! Urrrrrgh! It's like someone's screaming in my ear!"

Chloe plopped onto the bed next to him and gently stroked his head. "Awwwww... is your head still hurting?"

Shaheen sighed. "Yes. It's hurting very badly. And I don't even know what's causing it... it could be the alcohol or the injury or... ugh, maybe Faraj haunting me."

"Hmm?"

Shaheen looked at her. "Oh, I guess I haven't talked much about him. Faraj Al-Hassan, my best friend who was... murdered."

"So that's the guy...?"

"Yeah... him and his wife and children... gah, it's all so horrible. And now, I feel like they're in my head... screaming at me! It's like they won't let me relax until I've killed the person responsible for their demise!"

Shaheen was interrupted by Chloe pressing her chin against his shoulder. "Hmmm... but you don't think that's real do you?"

"Wh-why wouldn't it be?!"

"Hmmm... well, your best friend should know you better than anyone, right? Well if you're seeing a vision of your best friend and he's telling you to murder someone in his name, then it sounds like he doesn't know you very well. So that couldn't be real!"

Shaheen's eyes widened from those words. Chloe had a point; in fact, it made perfect sense. Faraj of all people knew that Shaheen was not a cold-blooded killer. But the man Shaheen saw in that vision... that Faraj didn't sound like the Faraj he knew in the world of the living. This Faraj lusted for blood... and he wanted Shaheen to experience that same bloodlust. Maybe that wasn't really his best friend; maybe it was his dark, sinful side trying to overpower him and make him do something against his morals!

Shaheen's thoughts were interrupted by Chloe patting his cheek.

"Well in any case, I feel just as crappy as you do! Which is why I have an idea..."

"Oh boy..."

Chloe leaped to her knees and started bouncing on the bed. "Let's! Go! To! A! SAUNA!"

The shaking of the bed only intensified Shaheen's discomfort. "Uggggh... s-stop..."

"Cmon! We'll feel better if we go sweat all our troubles away! All the nasty, ugly, bad stuff inside us will go away, and only our lovely sweaty selves will be left behind! NYA~!"

Shaheen mulled it over for a minute. To be honest, Chloe made sense once again. Shaheen felt totally mucky; in fact, maybe that word didn't even do it justice. Shaheen didn't know WHAT was going on inside his head lately. Things had gotten so weird... ever since that man struck him in the head, Shaheen started to see things that weren't quite normal. Maybe a nice hot sauna would be just the therapy he needed to get back in his right mind.

"...You know what? That sounds pretty good."

"...Really?!"

"Yeah."

"WOW! That's the first time you've agreed with me since you've been here nya~"

"Great...you must be growing on me."

"Hopefully~"

That word was followed by an awkward moment of silence as the two stared into each other's eyes. A little blush shone on Chloe's cheeks, and Shaheen got a little warm in the face as well. Shaheen had to finally remedy the situation with a quick clearing of his throat.

"Ahem! Well then... let's g-get this stuff unloaded and we can g-go."

Chloe noticed Shaheen was flustered. A grin spread across her lips; she knew this was a golden opportunity to test the limits of his composure.

"So wait... you're saying you don't mind being locked in a hot sweaty room with me~?"

"...Um?"

"Close to me~?"

"Um..."

"NAAAAAAKEEEEED~?"

"You'll be wearing a towel, of course!"

"Oh? And you will be too?"

"What the heck do you think?"

"Ha ha ha ha~!"

"Oh stop teasing me, I'm not in the mood!"

"Hee hee... well then Mr. Grumpy! Fine!"

Chloe emerged from the bathroom carrying some fluffy white towels. She tossed one to Shaheen, who shouldered it and then got back to his feet. As they headed for the door, Chloe suddenly stopped.

"W-wait, nya! I'm scared to leave all my stuff here unguarded! What if someone breaks in and steals it, nya?"

Shaheen scoffed. "Seriously? It's just material things."

"But that was a lot of money, nya!"

"Hmmm... well, you did spend more money in one day than I've made in a month..."

Shaheen went over and unzipped his bag: the same bag he had carried with him to Dubai. Inside this bag housed not only his bare essentials... it held a few other surprises as well that he saw fit to bring along on his quest for justice.

Chloe's eyes widened when he brought out a weird contraption hooked up to wires. "Whooooa..."

"These are proximity shock charges." Shaheen explained. He stuck them all around the edges of the windows, flicking them on as he planted them. "They'll send enough volts into somebody to give them permanent nerve damage."

"Why are you putting them near the windows?"

"Because I'll just gently scoot all your bags near the windows, so nobody will get close enough to snatch them. That way, we can still use the front door and your stuff will be safe."

"Whaaa?! But then how will I get my stuff if it's near that death trap! Nyaaaa!"

"Well... I'll figure that angle out later."

"Aw... nya..."

Since they were still practically fresh after the shopping trip, they decided there was no need to change. They locked up the suite and took a cab to one of Dubai's Health and Spa facilities for some therapeutic sauna time. Both Shaheen and Chloe had never been to one before, so it'd be a new experience for both of them. But right now, both of them were craving a sweaty, steamy release from their dark energies... for their own personal reasons.

"We'd like a couple's sauna, nya!" Chloe exclaimed to the receptionist.

"Say what now?" Shaheen asked, his eyebrow darting up.

"Relax, it just means we'll have it to ourselves nya."

"R-right..."

Once everything was signed and paid for, Shaheen and Chloe made their way to their own little private sauna room, just big enough that only they could fit in it. Shaheen was pleased that Chloe had the good intentions of getting them a private sauna so they didn't have to be bothered by a bunch of sweaty strangers... but it still felt a little weird. Close quarters... with Chloe... wearing nothing but towels... the more Shaheen envisioned it, the warmer he got in the pit of his stomach. It was setting up to be somewhat of an intimate thing between the two of them, even though the whole purpose was just to get rid of their terrible headaches.

Despite the shyness in both of them, they managed to separately get out of their clothes and into towels, then meet back at their reserved sauna. It was a little awkward at first to look at each other, but eventually they managed to get past that hurdle of awkwardness and back into a relative comfort zone.

"Do you feel weird about this?" asked Chloe. She had her hair completely down, and her white towel clung tightly against her chest. The tightness to which it clung, coupled by the ever-so-subtle inches low on her sternum that it rested, caused her moderate curves to display rather prominently in the towel. Furthermore, she had some rather adorable tan lines on her chest and shoulders from those teeny bikini tops she was accustomed to.

"If I do feel weird about it, I'll get over it." Shaheen replied gruffly. As he said those words, he unconsciously tugged his towel tighter around his waist. That lone towel was all he was clad in, as Chloe finally got to witness his shirtless physique for the first time. As impressive as his body looked in one of those tight short-sleeved shirts, his muscles and curving pectorals looked twice as amazing in their bare form. Chloe found herself shooting several glances at Shaheen's torso, and he knew she was doing it. He wasn't very bothered by it... as long as his towel stayed on.

"Welp, this is it. Ready, nya?"

Chloe opened the door, and the two of them were blasted with an INTENSE wave of heat. The sweet scent of warm cedar filled their nostrils as they stepped into the extremely constricting room and shut the door behind them. Shaheen felt himself get lightheaded almost immediately; his vision began to blur... was he going cross-eyed? He could feel his insides ignite like a fireplace, but his skin turned cold; beads of sweat accumulated all over his torso and slid down his chest.

"You sit on that side and I'll sit here, nya." Chloe commanded with a grin.

Shaheen descended upon the bench; in fact, he felt less like sitting and more like his body was MELTING against the soft wood. He didn't even realize he had sat down, even though he could feel the warmth of the cedar on his calves and the tiles against his bare feet.

"Wh-whew! It's hot, huh?" Chloe exclaimed. She was fanning herself, and her hair already looked like it was soaking wet from perspiration. It was losing its bright golden hue, and was beginning to darken with a brownish shade.

Shaheen was too lost in the sensation to even move his lips. His head spun around and around; he felt drunk, but in a warm, fuzzy way. As the moisture leaked from his pores, his breaths came out long and hard to the extent that his lungs retracted with each intake of air.

"Huff... huff... you okay? Shaheen, l-look at me!"

Shaheen moaned as his eyes fought to stay attuned to the world around him. It was a challenge just to look forward and see the blurry white and yellow blotches that formed Lucky Chloe.

"J-just close your eyes and take a deep breath... hold it for a second... and let it out."

Shaheen nodded, and darkness engulfed his vision as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed against the wall behind him. His torso drew inwards as he gathered his breath... and ten seconds later he finally returned to his normal state and ejected the large volley of air he had accumulated.

"Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Hee hee! That's better, huh?" Chloe giggled.

"Y-yeah... ohh god... I feel like I'm... my bones are evaporating..."

"Hee hee, then it must be working. Oh wow... I feel pretty mushy too... oh wowie... my brain is like cotton candy...nya..."

The two of them leaned against their respective walls and their eyes closed as the heat overtook them. As seconds passed, their brains slowly left the realm of consciousness... until the two of them were out like lights.

 **"Shaheen..."**

 **"Shaheen... will you open your damned eyes and look at me?"**

 **"SHAHEEN!"**

"Ahh!"

Shaheen's eyes opened... but they weren't met with the color of the real world. All he saw was black; endless black all around him. Was this another experience out of his head? He could have sworn he heard a voice just then...

"Is someone there?"

 **"Who do you think?"**

"Ah! That voice... is that you, my friend?"

As soon as Shaheen addressed the voice, the body of his friend Faraj materialized before his very eyes. He was a normal color this time instead of red... but he looked just as happy as he did the first time.

"Faraj... am I back in Hell?"

 **"Not the Hell you saw before. This is your own personal Hell. The Hell inside your mind."**

Shaheen took a scared step back. "M-my mind... but... no! This can't be real. You're not real."

Faraj's anger grew. **"Oh? I'm not real? Well can you feel THIS?!"**

Shaheen winced as Faraj's hand came soaring across his face, so hard that it knocked him backwards.

 **"I've noticed you're still with that girl. I'm starting to see now who it is you truly value the most. I guess I might as well be unreal... I might as well have never existed! You're probably happy I'm dead, aren't you?!"**

Shaheen regained his stance. "N-no, I... Faraj, what has happened to you? You don't sound anything like the Faraj I knew in the real world."

 **"Oh, well forgive me! I didn't ask to be murdered! But I did ask for the simple favor that my best friend do everything in his power to avenge my death. But another day passes, and still the blade of your sword shines bright!"**

Shaheen's shock turned to a firm gaze. "Faraj...Chloe was right. You're not real. This isn't real right now. The real Faraj would never talk to me like this."

 **"Chloe?"** Faraj spat. **"CHLOE? CHLOE CHLOE CHLOE! I've got news for you, my 'brother'... that girl has you brainwashed."**

"What do you mean?" Shaheen replied angrily.

 **"I mean what I just said! Chloe is not who you think she is, you idiot! She's a deceitful, two-faced devil woman!"**

"N-no! Shut up!"

 **"YOU SHOULDN'T TAKE THAT BITCH'S POISONOUS WORDS OVER THE WORDS OF YOUR BEST FR-"**

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

Shaheen didn't realize he had even raised his fist until he brought the back of it flying across Faraj's cheek and knocked him to the ground.

The visual personification of Faraj rubbed his cheek in shock, eyes wide. He looked at Shaheen, mouth open as shocked breaths puffed from his lungs. Finally, he angrily jumped to his feet and approached Shaheen, leaning in close until he could feel Shaheen's nervous breaths.

 **"...You will suffer in Hell with me, Shaheen. For your sins... you will share the same pain I feel right now. And know that when the time comes and your pathetic life ends... you will die knowing your only friend in the world curses your name."**

 **"...Ummm, you're not his only friend, nya."**

Shaheen's eyes widened until his eyebrows hurt when he heard that female voice. His body twisted around so abruptly his spine nearly snapped as he desperately searched for the source of that familiar voice.

"Who said that?! Chloe! Chloe, are you there?"

 **"I'm right here, idiot! Nya!"**

Shaheen momentarily put his hands to his eyes to rub them; when his hands left his eyes, Chloe was standing right before him with a goofy grin.

 **"Haaaaaaaaaaai~"**

Shaheen recoiled sharply. "Chloe?! B-but you... where's Faraj?"

 **"Faraj is gone now, nya. It's my turn to be the vision in your head!"**

Shaheen put his hands to his head and shook wildly back and forth. "What is going on here?! You...I... ugggh! What's happening to me?!"

 **"Hee hee hee... silly. Your morality is at war with itself, nya!"**

Shaheen looked down at her. "Hmph...what makes you so sure?"

 **"Why else would I be here? Why else would Faraj be there? Or... that thing that calls himself Faraj, nya."**

"Well if that wasn't really my best friend, then why should I believe you're really Chloe?"

 **"I admit I'm not really Chloe, nya! That's what makes me different!"**

"THEN WHAT ARE-"

 **"I'm just a visual personification of your light side, nya!"**

Shaheen rubbed his head once again, just for good measure. "...Light side. As if I'm some kind of two-faced..."

 **"Faraj is the dark side of you: the side that's trying to convince you to murder someone just to satisfy your own feelings of pain and loss. I'm the light side: the side that's trying to convince you to keep being a wonderful, kind-hearted hunk with a heart of gold~"**

"But it's... it's not like that!" Shaheen replied. "It's not just to make myself feel better. It's justice!"

 **"Face it, Shaheen. Murder is murder. And you're not a murderer, are you?"**

"Well, I..."

 **"ARE YOU?"**

"...I've never taken a life unless they were threatening the life of another."

 **"Exactly! That's why you can't listen to Faraj; he's dead now, and there's nothing you can do to fix it. You would take a life to protect a life, right? Well, Faraj is already dead! So if you were to take a life in his name... it would be for vengeance. And vengeance is bad, nya!"**

Shaheen looked down. "...Well maybe I don't care. Maybe I should just do it, regardless of whether it's right or not. Maybe it would finally put my head back normal!"

 **"...But that would make me sad. Do you wanna make Chloe sad?"**

Shaheen had no response; he just shot reluctant glances at the representation of Chloe standing in front of him. After a minute... he finally did have a response.

"...I don't want to do anything to make you sad. You're the only person dear to me now."

Chloe's eyes immediately watered. **"R-really? You mean that! Awww Shaheen... I feel the same way about you! That's why I want you to be a good person... a person that I could only wish to be like..."**

Chloe extended her arms and approached Shaheen. Shaheen fell to his knees as Chloe pressed tight against him and hugged him tight.

 **"Now put your arms around me, nya..."**

"Ch-Chloe..."

Shaheen closed his eyes and his arms wrapped around Chloe in response. His tension released, and his body relaxed against hers... and the two of them sat there, enclosed in each other's warmth.

 **"Stay in my arms forever, Shaheen... forget about murder and vengeance... and just be with me, nya..."**

And just like that... Shaheen's eyes shot open and he was once again met with the blazing warmth of the sauna. He looked around; he was back in the tight wooden quarters. But something was different... he was laying on the floor. And he felt something on top of him...?

Shaheen gasped when he looked down and saw a sopping wet mane of blonde hair against him, and Chloe's head gently nuzzling his bare chest. She was laying on top of him, snug in his arms! But that wasn't the strangest part; as it turns out... he was the one holding her tight against him. His buff arms had her completely trapped against him, squeezing her petite, towel-clad body in a warm, snug embrace.

"CHLOE!"

"Hmmm...n-nya...hmmmhmmm~"

Chloe lifted her head up, and her teal eyes engulfed every angle of his vision. Her face was almost completely against his, noses touching and chins bumping.

"Chloe... why are you on top of me...?" Shaheen whispered, lips parted so he could let his labored breaths slowly leak out.

"You tell me... you're the one who put me here~" Chloe whispered. Her face didn't have a look of happiness, nor sadness... it was more passionate. It was a solemn face that Shaheen had never seen from her before.

The absurdity and shock of the situation rendered their bodies immobile. Each one could only lay there, arms still around each other, as one eagerly awaited the other to make the first move. But that move never came... and so they just continued to lay there. Shaheen was still hugging her body tight, preventing her escape, and Chloe was still nuzzled against his face, her legs draped over his and arms hanging around his neck. The warmth of the sauna was accompanied by a new warmth: a fuzzy, bubbling sensation that made their blood tingle and the beads of sweat on their skin come to a near boil.

Shaheen was finally the one to muster the willpower to take a step... but unfortunately, it wasn't a step forward.

"Let's get out of here. My head's all better now."

Chloe felt the embrace around her go limp, finally allowing her to get off of Shaheen and back to her feet. She clung her towel, which had accidentally loosened a bit, tight against her chest as she offered a helping hand to the grounded Shaheen. Shaheen refused the offer and got back up under his own strength, using a free hand to keep his own towel secure around him.

For a second, they stood there awkwardly until Shaheen finally opened his mouth.

"Ummm... I'm sorry. I don't know how I managed to..."

"It's okay, we were both unconscious." Chloe replied abruptly. "But hooo boy, I feel better at least, nya~!"

"Good, so do I. Let's get back to the suite."

They left the sauna, gathered their clothes, got dressed, and took an awkward cab ride back to the suite. Neither one said a word the entire time.

 **Okay, time to stop. This chapter is getting too long lol. Tune in next time to see the SHOCKING CONCLUSION... of what happened at the sauna. Heh heh :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**This fic is doing some awesome numbers. Thank you all so much for your support. You're awesome!**

Not much of anything was said between them on the cab ride back to Chloe's suite. One might suggest it was because they were hot, sweaty, smelly and fatigued... but of course, that was the last thing on their minds. The memory were still in their minds of their slick, towel-clad bodies snuggled against each other in the burning hot sauna... and neither of them knew how to address it. At least, not yet; both of them had thoughts of their own, mutual or not, and maybe they were just waiting until they got back to the seclusion of the hotel room to share them. Only time would tell.

The moment of anticipation was drawing near as they got back to the hotel and made their way to Chloe's suite. When they reached the door... both of them stood there. They froze, as if waiting for one or the other to take the initiative.

"...After you." Shaheen was the first to open his mouth. He immediately looked away afterwards.

Chloe opened the door and walked in, shooting a glance at Shaheen to finally make him come in as well. They shut the door and once again... the silence resumed.

Neither of them made any sudden moves, just stood there timidly like a deer who just heard a twig snap. It was an extremely silent, awkward situation that made both of them feel heavy in the legs and anxious in the pit of their stomachs. Both of them were making a silent prayer in their heads, asking for the courage to finally address the huge elephant in the room that was currently smothering them of their ability to even relax.

Finally, one tiny statement was uttered: a statement so simple, yet so powerful... as if a needle stuck the huge, awkward balloon and finally drained all the awkward air out of the room.

"...This is stupid, nya."

Shaheen looked over at her, his hand nervously caressing his hair. "...Huh?"

Chloe looked at him, then down at her feet, her cheeks red... and not from the recent heat.

"It felt good being held by you. Okay?"

Shaheen gulped. Well, she did her part by breaking the ice... now it was his turn to help contribute.

"It must have happened for a reason." he replied.

"Uhhh... because we were delirious from the heat, nya?"

"No! I mean... well, maybe."

Shaheen scratched his head and looked down. "Look, I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything... but something strange happened in there."

Chloe's eyebrow raised. "Hmmm? Look, I can't be held accountable for anything my hands did while I was unconscious nya."

Shaheen put a hand up. "Just listen, please. I... well I... my brain sent me on another... journey."

Before he continued, Shaheen walked over to the couch and sat down on it. Unexpectedly, Chloe came over there and sat down beside him. He wasn't sure whether it was going to make it easier to explain, or more difficult...

"So who was in your vision? Was it your deceased friend Faraj again?"

Shaheen interlaced his fingers and put them underneath his chin. "...Yes. But there was one more person there."

"Was it his wife?"

"No."

"Was it god?"

"No."

"Was it the Grim Reaper?'"

"No."

"Was it you from the future? W-with a bigger beard and scars and stuff, nya?"

"...It was you."

"ME?!"

Shaheen winced at the shocking tone in her voice. He knew it... he knew she would be creeped out by it...

"Wow, that's cool nya! I was in Shaheen's head! Oh wowie wowie kazowie~!"

That... was different. Shaheen didn't know how to react to that one. At least he had an appropriate reaction if she was creeped out. But this... he hadn't really planned for her to be PLEASANTLY surprised!

"Sooooo? I'm waiting to hear what I was doing in your head, nya!" Chloe eagerly continued.

Shaheen breathed a tiny sigh of relief before continuing. "You, uhh..."

"Cmon cmon CMON the suspense is killing me!" Chloe squealed, bouncing up and down on the couch.

"...Faraj was again tempting me. He wanted me to leave you, and continue on my journey of vengeance. I argued with him a little while, and then you appeared."

"Did I kick his butt or something?"

"No, nothing like that. He just vanished... and it was me and you. And you... you spoke softly to me."

Shaheen could feel his face warming with every word he spoke. "You were like a shining beacon, illuminating me... warming me... banishing the darkness in my soul. When I was with you... everything felt right. Everything felt good... I felt like things were normal."

Chloe felt Shaheen's hand touch hers. She blushed madly when he looked into her eyes.

"...You're the only thing keeping me sane, Chloe. I realize that now. When I met you three days ago, I never realized what you were to me. But now, I see you for what you really are..."

Chloe was full-on tomato in the face right now. "...Wh-what am I~?"

"...You're the one thing in my life that's good."

Those words felt like someone let loose a flamethrower inside Chloe. She was sweating again, and it wasn't just the aftershock of being at a sauna. Her feelings were making her hot: Shaheen's words ignited the burners in her heart to the extent that she could physically feel the heat on her skin.

And then... the tears came.

"Shaheen!" Chloe cried out his name as she threw her arms around him. Shaheen returned the hug with equal affection, and the two relished each other's embrace with a newfound respect and appreciation.

"I'm so glad you feel that way... because I feel the same." Chloe said softly between sniffles. "I know I may seem like a happy person, but before you came along... everything was just so miserable. You're just... you're amazing, Shaheen! You make me so happy! Nobody in the whole wide world can make me feel the way you do~"

Shaheen didn't compromise this time; he returned the hug, with every last bit of warmth and affection as she bestowed on him. "I'm glad to have met you, Chloe. When I'm with you... things feel normal again."

Chloe pulled her head away from his chest, so they could be face to face. "Sooo... does this mean you'll quit your silly revenge journey and spend more time with me~?"

Shaheen chuckled softly, but his face quickly became serious. "W-well I... I'll think about it, okay?"

"Awwww... well that's better than no, nya~"

Suddenly, Chloe leaped to her feet and leaned down, getting in Shaheen's face with wide, eager eyes.

"SO! I know what I wanna do tonight, nya!"

"Oh, do you? Well, let's hear it."

"I want to have dinner... at the Burj Khalifa. And I wanna go all the way to the top, nya!"

Shaheen put a hand to his chin and lifted an eyebrow. "The Burj Khalifa? The tallest building in the world?"

"Yup~"

"All the way to the top, eh? Sounds expensive."

"Good thing we're on my payroll, eh? Hee hee~"

"Hm... very well then. We should really shower, though."

"YAAAAAAAAY~"

They took turns taking a shower, Chloe wanting Shaheen to go first for some weird reason. It wasn't until Chloe stepped out of the shower that Shaheen understood; she was going to model every last outfit she bought at the store until he picked the best one for her.

The silly antics went well on for about 30 minutes, as Chloe would step out of the bathroom in different clothes, strike a pose, and then disappear back and re-emerge wearing a DIFFERENT outfit. Shaheen was having a hard time making a mental note of everything she had already worn, so he decided on a simple plan; just tell her his favorite outfit was the one she would emerge wearing.

The bathroom door opened, and out Chloe came: she was wearing a generous amount of makeup and some nice earrings, a beautiful pink short-sleeved shirt that comfortably hugged her chest and exposed her left shoulder, and a very sophisticated looking white skirt that clung tightly to her milky white legs. Finally, she had a pristine pair of pink high-heeled pumps.

There was something about this outfit that made Chloe look so... mature. It wasn't anything like her usual cute self; it made her really look like a sophisticated woman. The only contrast was that her hair was still in pigtails, but lacking the cat ear headphones.

"Now then... how about this one~?" Chloe asked with a smile. She turned a full circle, letting Shaheen admire her from every angle. Shaheen was at a little loss for words, as she definitely looked amazing.

"...It's perfect." he finally managed to utter, going according to plan. But there was one little deviation from the plan... he was actually honest. This WAS the best outfit. Chloe looked so amazing, to the extent that his face burned just looking at her.

"Really? Awww you're just saying that so I'll quit changing, nya." Chloe giggled, sticking out her tongue.

"No...I mean it. You look absolutely beautiful." Shaheen muttered. He couldn't even look her in the face as he said those heartfelt words.

"S-Shaheen..."

Now it was Chloe's turn to be rendered flustered. She felt a little glow in her chest, warm like a freshly lit candle, as Shaheen's words caressed her ears. The mood in the suite right now was really something special: like the comforting feeling of a heater on a cold day.

"Cmon, Miss Chloe. Let's go have dinner together." Shaheen declared, extending his long-sleeved arm. He himself was looking spruced up in a long sleeved, button-up blue collar shirt and jeans.

"Heh heh, after you kind sir~" Chloe said with a giggle.

The sky began to darken with orange by the time they got into the Burj Khalifa. Pretty soon, the black of night would enshroud Dubai before they even got a chance to get a seat. It was just as expensive as Shaheen feared, eating at the restaraunt located on the 122nd floor of the tallest building in the world... but Chloe didn't seem to care. In the popstar's mind, no expense was too great as long as she got to live this moment. Right now, with Shaheen, she was the happiest she had ever been in the world. Shaheen felt the same way, and for that... he was grateful for Chloe's blatant disregard of being frugal.

They both ate in solace and happiness that night, enamored by the sheer awesomeness of the atmosphere, but above all else... just being in each others' presence. Something felt different tonight, in each of them, as if some evolution was taking place before their eyes. Shaheen, though blissfully unaware, hadn't even thought the least bit about his actual mission. Chloe was the same, having cut loose the anchor of remorse that plagued her constantly in her line of work. At this moment, nothing mattered except the two of them.

"This is the coolest place I've ever been." Chloe opened. She was eating gnocchi and fresh scallops.

"Just wait until we get to the top." Shaheen replied. He had also ordered a pricey meal of "fois gras torchon" and organic salmon. He had never heard of this shit in his life... but he was living it up tonight. There was something about this night with Chloe that just made him want to let go. Let go, and forget all of life's troubles...

"Have you been here before?" Chloe asked.

"Heh, are you kidding? No way I could ever afford to get into the Burj Khalifa on my salary, especially not THIS high."

"Aww... well it's a good thing you're with me then. Nya~"

"Heh... I couldn't agree more."

Neither of them was much for conversation after that, since the food was so good and they were determined to finish it all for the price they had to pay. After the meal was over, they enjoyed some after-dinner mints and then proceeded to the elevator for the pinnacle of the Burj Khalifa... and their evening. They went as high as possible, all the way up to the executive floors, where the tower overlooked the entirety of the city.

"Cmon, let's go over to the windows!" Chloe eagerly exclaimed, dragging Shaheen behind her.

"Alright, alright. Let me use my own feet!"

They both reached the glass pane, and their eyes widened. Their lower jaws succumbed to gravity, unable to stay up as they fell downward. What they witnessed before them... the city of Dubai in all it's shining, dazzling glory... was a humbling, uplifting, empowering sight for them.

Both of them were rendered paralyzed, unable to give the proper commands to their eyes to look away from the vastness of the city. All they could move were their mouths.

"These three days... have been awesome." Chloe mumbled, her voice in a trance-like state.

"Yeah..." was Shaheen's only capable response.

"This is just... whoa."

"Yeah..."

"It's like I'm... some kind of god, looking down at everything... nya..."

"Yeah..."

"I wonder how much it costs to stay here..."

"Yeah..."

And then, both of them received some sort of cosmic cue card, as they both turned and faced each other. They could only stare for a little while, both of them still yet to receive their respective scripts. Until finally... Chloe broke the ice.

"Shaheen... you're really amazing."

Those words gave Shaheen the confidence to follow up. "I'm not the amazing one."

Chloe looked down at her feet, blushing. "Are you saying I am? I'm not as great as you think I am."

"What? Why not?"

Chloe's eyelids got a little glossy. "I... I'm a bad person, Shaheen. I preached to you about not killing... but the truth is I was just projecting my own guilt. The truth is... I've killed people. Like, my ex-security guard at the water park-"

"I don't care about that!" Shaheen interrupted. "Nothing can change how I feel about you. Nothing. You're an amazing girl, Chloe. You brighten my life. You've given me hope when I thought I would never feel joy again."

"Awww Shaheen... I feel the same way about you. I just don't know if I deserve to feel this happiness... not after everything I've-"

But Chloe would never finish that sentence. She was silenced by a pair of big strong arms scooping her up, her ability to speak cut off by Shaheen's lips crashing into hers. At that moment, the bright and happy popstar with a remorseful secret experienced her first kiss... courtesy of the morally confused soldier she had gotten to know over the span of three days in Dubai.

Chloe's words were buried, replaced by a soft moan as her legs found their way firmly around Shaheen's waist. She threw her arms around his neck until he no longer needed to support her, and she deepened the kiss with an equal force of love and affection.

The world and all its dark realities was lost to them, as these two newfound lovers, both befuddled on the journey of life, found solace in each others' kiss. Their lips stayed in constant motion, overshadowing the entirety of Dubai with the intensity of their love.

 **MEANWHILE...**

Back at the hotel, on its very rooftop, a new operation was underway. Lieutenant Kaname and his unit (minus two) were once again preparing to commence their diabolical mission of assassinating Lucky Chloe with vigor once again in their black hearts.

Well, five of them were, at least... one of them was currently just shutting up and trying desperately to satisfy her commanding officer so maybe she could keep her internship. That last little mishap that cost the lives of Ukita and Naito had put her on graphite-weak ice and almost completely killed her chances of ever becoming a real Tekken Force soldier. Her only chance at this point was to do everything Kaname tells her, and especially no more crying.

"Alright, hook up to this piece of metal. We don't want anymore roping mishaps." Kaname ordered silently. He hooked his rope and tugged it a few times, and then his men followed suit: Gomo, Sakuraba, Akashi, and finally...

"You." Kaname said firmly. His reluctant female intern tensed up.

"Y-yes sir!"

"You're going down with the rest of them."

"I um... uhhh... w-w-well... are you sure that's a good idea, sir? You know, after I... ah...umm..."

"This is your chance to redeem yourself. You do well here, and maybe I'll put in a good recommendation to the higher-ups."

"Oh thank you! Thank you, I-"

"Just shut up and hook up."

"I... yes sir."

With newfound determination, the trainee hooked her rope and stood alongside her comrades, preparing to commence the operation.

"Kaede, can you see us from your current position?" Kaname said in his earpiece.

Across the hotel, on an adjacent building, Kaede sat in position with a pair of night vision goggles. "Yeah. clear as day."

"Good. You're our eyes. Don't let us walk into a shit show, okay?"

"Relax, boss. The suite is completely empty. Heh heh, Chloe's the one that's gonna get a mouthful of shit. As soon as she opens that door..."

"...We're gonna light her uppity ass up." Kaname finished.

He stood up and faced his unit, clearing his throat. "Okay! I want silencers equipped! This isn't gonna be our usual breach and clear scenario. We're coming in from the windows, and we're gonna lie in wait. There's no telling what time the target will get back to her suite, so get comfy fellas. She's coming straight to us... and she's gonna open that door and find a very unpleasant surprise waiting for her. As soon as that door opens and she's in your sights, do not hesitate. Drop her fast and hard. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" they all said in unison.

"Alright... then no more needs to be said. Lets rope up, fellas."

With Kaede keeping surveillance, the five of them leaped from the edge of the roof and slowly rappelled downwards towards Chloe's suite. Their assault weapons, all equipped with silencers, were hanging from their shoulders.

As they made their way down the building, a sickening thrill was welling up in Kaname's chest. Nobody could see his face due to his helmet, but he had a huge sadistic grin on his face. Nothing in this world really mattered to the lieutenant, except his own personal glory. Sure he had lost two of his best men... but to him, they were just chess pieces that he would simply toss aside. He had plenty more pieces to play with... especially one ambitious young lady far away from her cozy modeling career.

When they all reached the top of the window of Chloe's suite, they all stood firm and awaited further orders.

"Alright...Kaede, how's it looking?" Kaname asked.

 _"It looks clear from here, still. No movement whatsoever."_ Kaede responded.

"Hmmm... do you think it's safe to proceed?"

 _"I dunno boss, I have a bad feeling about the windows. If that guy Chloe hired is a professional, he may have planted some booby traps."_

"I see..."

Lieutenant Kaname suddenly turned to his closest man. "Sakuraba, you got your glass-cutter?"

Sakuraba immediately brandished it. "Yes sir."

Kaname grinned. "Gooooood... I want you to give it to the intern."

"Um...wh-what?" the trainee in white immediately stammered.

"Um, sir..." Sakuraba started.

"SILENCE! You heard Kaede, the windows could be booby trapped. If that girl wants to prove her worth, then she goes down first to check it out."

The intern's body began to tremble. "B-b-but s-s-sir... what if I mess up?"

"You won't mess up! All you have to do is cut the glass on the window. If there's no traps, then it's safe."

"But what if there ARE traps?" she asked nervously.

"Then the rest of us will be okay."

"SIR! I...I...I didn't sign up for this!"

"YES. YOU. DID. If you want to be a Tekken Force soldier, you have to be ready to put your life on the line. If not, then you can go back to your photo shoots!"

"N-no please! I need this job! I have a family to feed!"

"THEN GET YOUR GREEN ASS DOWN THAT WINDOW, ROOKIE!"

"Yes sir!" her voice was naught but a squeak.

"And no crying! So help me I'll check your helmet for wetness!"

The soldiers in black all watched as their white-armored counterpart rappelled down to the window, glass-cutter in her hand. Her arm trembled as she put it to the window and prepared to activate it. She had to swallow a few times, until there was no more spit left in her throat. This was it... her first moment of life and death... her first moment as a real soldier.

FSSH!

"H-huhh?"

FSSH! FSSH! FSSH!

The female intern pulled the trigger multiple times, but the concentrated azure flame didn't ignite. It just produced a weak spark.

"Siiiiir!"

"WHAT!"

"The glass-cutting tool doesn't work!"

"Oh for the love of-"

Before Lieutenant Kaname could shout any orders, Sakuraba went down to go help his counterpart. He took the glass-cutter from her inexperienced hands and pressed it against the window.

"Look, you turn it on like this. Ok-AAAAUUUUGHAAAAUGHAAAUGHAAAUGHAAAAAAUGHHHHHH!"

The intern watched with horror as 10,000 volts of electricity coursed through Sakuraba's body. His body remained there, convulsing violently for almost a whole minute before it finally went limp and his hands let go of the rope.

The tears leaked from her eyes and filled her helmet as she watched her comrade fall to his death.

"I...I...I...I...I...I'm...SORRYYYYYYYYY!" she wailed, her apology incapable of reaching his corpse.

Kaname rolled his eyes and grunted with annoyance. "Everybody, back to the rooftop now! That asshole bodyguard has the suite rigged!"

Lieutenant Kaname and his men were able to get back to the rooftop with ease. They all sat around and waited intently for the last one to arrive; finally she did. As soon as she got back to the rooftop, she fell to her knees and began blubbering like a baby.

"Are you proud of yourself?" Lieutenant Kaname asked. "You've killed another one of my men."

"I...*sniff* didn't *sniff* MEAN TOOOOOO..." she sobbed.

"I have had enough of this. From this moment on... you are no longer part of my unit." Kaname said coldly.

"Wh-whaaaa..."

"You heard me, you useless bimbo! I have no use for you! NONE! You're not even a worthy meat-shield! If you weren't around, I could have succeeded by now!"

"But sir, I... I tried my best!"

"YOUR BEST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!"

Kaname stopped and took a deep breath, desperately trying to quell his enraged disposition. He took several breaths before finally opening his mouth again.

"...Just go. Go back to the Philippines. Go back to your cameras. You're not fit to be a Tekken Force soldier."

"But... *sniff*... I..."

"GO!"

Without another word (just a barrage of sniffles) the young intern slumped away, dreams now crushed. She had put everything into this one opportunity... and screwed up perfectly. Now there was no hope, no ambition... only pain. The pain and tears of failure...

"Hmph! Stupid popstar..." she sobbed. "If the boss wasn't obsessed with her, we could've been doing a real job... maybe things would've been different..."

Suddenly, she got an idea. In the midst of the darkest pit of hopelessness...the dim light of redemption still found its way through.

"Hmmm... if I deliver Lucky Chloe to him, then he'd have to take me back! I don't even have to kill her! I'll just snatch her and take her to the boss on a silver platter so he can kill her personally! That way, I get my job back and my hands are clean! I'm such a genius~"

Meanwhile, Kaname was addressing his men once again: Gomo, Akashi... and Kaede, who had made his way to their position.

"Okay, you three... another setback. Sakuraba is dead. But on the bright side, I have finally fired that useless intern! So now, the four of us can refocus on the task at hand. The mission is still clear. G Corporation must be defaced... Lucky Chloe must die. To see this goal accomplished, I will burn down all of Dubai."


	9. Chapter 9

It was a massive feeling of liberation for Shaheen and Chloe after their true feelings shone through that night. It allowed for a much more comfortable atmosphere between the two of them. There was no more of the hesitation, nerves, and indecisiveness that had shone through prominently during many of their more "tender" moments. Now that the awkward shell had been broken, it no longer felt weird for them to even touch each other. A hug, a kiss, sharing the same bed... it suddenly felt more natural than anything else.

As Chloe washed her face and changed for the night, they each had these thoughts in their head. They wanted tonight to be different. The previous days up to this point had been marred with controversy, obstacles, dilemmas... but this was the first night that those variables were no longer present. This was their first chance to have a pure, unrestrained moment of happiness together. God knows they both needed it...

"What are you doing in there, anyway?" Shaheen asked. He was already in a white t-shirt and some comfy shorts, and was doing sit-ups by the bed.

"I'm just picking out a nightgown to wear, nya!"

"Seriously? Why do you care what you sleep in?"

"Because... I want to look beautiful for a certain ruggedly handsome fella sleeping next to me... nya~"

Those sugary words caused Shaheen to lose his balance and fall over; thankfully it wasn't a hard impact on the soft fuzzy carpet. With a scoff, Shaheen brushed himself off and finally crawled into bed. He wasn't really tired yet, so he turned on the tv and patiently waited for Chloe to come out and join him.

"Okaaaaay! Ready or not, here I come nya~"

Shaheen's eyes darted towards the bathroom as he saw two cute little bare feet and milky white legs step out of the doorway. His eyes widened... what was she wearing?!

"Chloe..."

"Like it? I picked this one out while your back was turned, nya~"

Chloe was wearing a salmon-colored nightgown that rested just below the thighs, the same length as the one she wore a few nights before. But this one was a tad different; while the chest area was a solid material, everything below the sternum seemed to be some kind of transparent silk. Embarrassingly, Shaheen could see what color she was wearing underneath it... and he could feel his face warming not only from that, but also the fact that Chloe was aware of it.

"And now for the finishing touch. Hair, I release thee from thy bonds! WHEEE~!"

And then the pigtails came out. Chloe flicked her flowing golden mane a few times before turning and winking at Shaheen, her hair hanging in her face with one teal eye and a cute smile breaking through. Shaheen couldn't help but grin from the adorable display.

"Are you done putting on a show? Get in bed already." Shaheen said with a friendly scoff.

Chloe straightened her hair and then crawled in next to Shaheen, pulling up the covers around them. As soon as her body relaxed against the mattress, she wasted no time rolling over on top of Shaheen and attacking his lips with her own.

"Mmmmmmph~"

Shaheen was caught off guard by her sudden aggression, but he adapted and quickly seized her in his arms, matching her kiss with force of his own. They rolled around in bed for a few seconds before Shaheen achieved top position. Their lips connected with a few more quick pecks before Shaheen went low and started peppering her neck, eliciting some adorable giggles.

"Hee hee hee! Hahahahahahaha! Ahhhh Shaheen~"

Shaheen got tired of holding himself up, so finally he rolled over on his side and the two of them settled. Chloe scooted in close, huddling her body inside Shaheen's crescent-shaped form like he was a warm, protective cocoon. She brought her legs around him, crossing her ankles to hold her position firmly, and draped her arms over his shoulders. Finally, her face touched down underneath his chin, finding that nice little boundary between his neck and chest where her face planted perfectly. Shaheen placed one gentle hand on her hip, caressing her smooth thigh where the gown had ridden up.

A quiet, pleasant sigh was exchanged between the two of them as they shared a tender moment of silence. But that silence didn't last long, as each of them had to say.

"Is this nice, Shaheen?"

Shaheen let out a slow exhale. "Yeah... but are you sure about this? I don't want to rush things and make you feel uncomfortable."

"Hey, I'm a big girl. I know what I want. And I know what my feelings are."

"R-right... sorry."

Chloe giggled. "I wanna know what you're feeling, though. Between the two of us, you're the one that's hard to read nya."

"What, I haven't made it clear enough?"

"Hee hee, nope. Maybe you can spell it out me~"

"...I love you."

Chloe had to pick her head up from his chest and make eye contact, just to see if his eyes were genuine. And they were; Shaheen's passionate gaze shone more brightly than the sun's rays on a reflective surface. The extent of his love could be seen in those irises and it was blinding... so blinding that it brought tears to her eyes.

"I love you too..." Chloe squeaked out.

Round 2 of their romantic antics ensued, as Shaheen grabbed her and rolled her on top of him. They shared a few slow, sensual kisses before Shaheen rolled over again and pinned her to the mattress. His lips found hers, and her legs wrapped firmly around his torso to indicate she wanted him to keep her there.

The duration of the night was one not of watching tv, but of a quiet, soothing symphony of rustling bed sheets, lips smacking, and soft moans and sweet nothings uttered. The mute button was pressed on the tv, and the visually stimulating device was left on all night, neglected, not an eye paying attention to it. Chloe and Shaheen had far better things to do.

 **THE FINAL DAY...**

It was day four, and things couldn't be better at this point. Chloe hadn't planned on taking such a long vacation, but she had such a good time with Shaheen that time got away from her. Shaheen himself also had totally gone off-schedule during his time with Chloe. But right now, neither of them cared; they were happy, in love, and their dark demons had been all but extinguished as a result. Right now, work was the last thing on either of their minds...

"What we gonna do today, hmmmm? Cmon cmon cmon!" Chloe bounced up and down, laughing giddily. She was currently holding Shaheen's hand, and the two of them were taking a relaxing stroll through town and seeing the sights.

"Heh heh... well, I haven't thought of anything yet." Shaheen replied with a warm smile.

"Well cmon, put that brain to work! We can't let the fun end, nya! We just can't!"

"Why do I have to decide? This is YOUR vacation, remember?"

"But you're having a good time too~"

Suddenly, the two of them stopped. Chloe turned, and looked into Shaheen's eyes.

"In fact... maybe we could spend another week here."

Shaheen's eyebrow raised. "Really? Don't you have a singing career to get back to?"

"Y-yeah, I know! But I'm having such a good time with you, Shaheen. I just... this fun can't end yet. It just can't... so please, can we spend another week here in Dubai?"

A few days ago, Shaheen's mind would have been at war with itself to find the words to say. But now things were different; Chloe's love had made him more sane than he'd ever been. The voices were long gone... and his mission was over. He only had one purpose in life now... to be happy with Chloe.

"...Let's stay here as long as you want."

Chloe jumped up and down. "YEEEEEE! I'm so happy, nya! This is great! I just need to call my boss and have him wire some more money to my checking account, and we can have another fun week here! And if you need money, well... I can keep paying you for your "services", hee hee~"

"Heh, sounds like you have everything figured out. Let's just hope there's nothing else for me to protect you from. Cmon, let's keep walking."

Shaheen grabbed Chloe's hand and they continued to walk onward. Shaheen felt amazing; his head didn't hurt, he wasn't seeing anything weird, and now... finally... he felt like he could put things behind him. Meeting Chloe had made such a huge impact on him, on a scale that he never would have imagined. When he was with her, he felt like his life was good again. She made him forget about the bad times... and the grief. If he could be like this with Chloe forever... getting revenge on Kazuya Mishima no longer mattered.

Shaheen could only hope Chloe felt the same way about her own life, a mystery to him though it still was. He didn't know much, but he knew Chloe had her own demons. Speaking of which, maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask now that they were together?

"Hey Chloe... who is it you work for anyway?"

 **BANG!**

Shaheen felt his feet leave the ground, propelling his body downwards like a domino. He tried to extend both arms to break the fall... but one of his arms was searing with pain! He just managed to protrude his forearm to cushion the blow as he fell facefirst on the ground.

Before Chloe could even process what happened, an ocean of screams started breaking out all around them. She saw people running for their lives, scooping up their children, shoving people aside to get a headstart. Finally, she managed to regain her senses and look down at Shaheen. Her eyes widened as she saw blood trickle... there was a huge diagonal gash in his bicep, blood drizzling from the wound.

"Sh...SHAHEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Shaheen felt the adrenaline course through him all at once... commanding his body to get back up and get Chloe to safety! With a sharp breath he leaped up and snatched Chloe, getting mobile just quick enough for a giant bullet hole to impact right near their feet.

"Shaheen! Are you okay?!"

"Unngh... it's just my arm! Just be quiet and make yourself as small a target as possible."

Meanwhile, atop a nearby building... a Tekken Force soldier voiced his displeasure of missing his mark.

"SHIT! I only nicked him!" the soldier named Akashi cried into his headset. He was camped out on a tall building, a tan-colored tarp draped over him to help mask his presence amidst the concrete structures. In his hands was an M40A6 rifle, minus two rounds. One of which hit the ground, and one which sliced Shaheen's arm open.

 _"Don't shoot at the bodyguard, you idiot! Shoot at Chloe!"_ An angry voice boomed in his earpiece. No doubt it was the voice of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Kaname.

"Roger that. Damn... he's running into a crowd."

 _"Relocate, now! Hurry up and don't lose her! Kaede and Gomo are coming to back you up!"_

"ROGER!"

Akashi shouldered his rifle, kept the tarp over him, and quickly moved to a different position on the building. He wasn't wearing his black armor, as he didn't want to risk liability on the Mishima Zaibatsu for any unfortunate accidents.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Shaheen was running with Chloe like she was a football tucked under his arm. The blood was still dripping from his grazed arm, and he could feel himself getting a little fuzzy... but he had to shake those thoughts away. Right now, protecting Chloe was his duty as a soldier... and a man in love.

"Set me down, Shaheen! I can run on my own!" Chloe yelled.

"O-okay... URGH!"

Shaheen managed to set her down just before collapsing to his knees. He hissed in pain, forcefully squeezing the wound in a vain attempt to keep his life essence from spilling.

"L-let me treat it-"

"NO! Just... just give me one second. One second. We can't stay here."

"Oh Shaheen... I'm sorry..." Chloe whispered, her eyes getting teary.

Shaheen closed his eyes and took a few rapid breaths before opening them again and getting back his feet.

"Now! RUN!"

Shaheen grabbed Chloe and shoved her in front, so he could stay behind her and act as a human shield. They sprinted onwards, not even sure what they were running from. All they knew was that there was someone out there with a very big gun... and he had the high ground.

"Shaheen! Let's hide in a building!" Chloe cried.

"No, we don't want to put our backs to a wall! We have to stay moving, no matter what! Unnnnngh..."

"Your arm..."

"It's fine! Uggggh... let's just- TAKE COVER!"

Before Shaheen could finish his sentence, he saw a figure in black and red aim and fire at them. He was wielding an automatic: no doubt a standard issue assault rifle. Shaheen managed to shove Chloe's head down in just enough time to prevent getting shot full of holes, and he quickly dived down to avoid the onslaught as well.

"Shaheen! I'm sorry! This is all my fault!" Chloe wailed.

"Just shut up and stay down!" Shaheen barked. He used his good arm to lift up his pant leg and draw his combat knife. "Alright, I'm gonna take him out... stay here."

But as Shaheen leaped up and raised his knife, he no longer saw the figure.

"What the-"

Another loud shot rang out as the wall next to Shaheen exploded with debris.

"SNIPER!" he cried, snatching Chloe back up and shoving her onwards. It seems the man on the ground was only a decoy, attempting to lure them into an ambush.

"Heh heh heh... nice herding, Kaede." Akashi grinned.

"Happy to help, partner." Kaede replied in his own headset. "Now just try shooting better."

"Yeah, yeah."

Shaheen and Chloe ran towards a different block, where the situation was probably still unaware to the people wandering the streets. Shaheen hated to put them in danger... but he was in pure survival mode right now. And it wasn't just his life at stake... it was Chloe's.

 _"AKASHI! What's your status?!"_ Lieutenant Kaname boomed.

Akashi had to get to his feet just to aim his rifle. "They're heading back towards a civilian-populated area! I've got a bead on them, but-"

 _"SHOOT! SHOOT GOD DAMMIT SHOOT! FIRE!"_

"But sir, the people..."

 _"I don't care about the people! I order you to fire!"_

"Sir..."

 _"DO IT!"_

Akashi squeezed the trigger, but his nerves were so rampant that he still couldn't tag them. The bullet impacted a few feet away from Shaheen and Chloe, and the people still in the area were now fully alerted to the situation.

"Damn, this guy doesn't care who he hits." Shaheen grunted.

"That guy back there... did you see what he looked like?" Chloe gasped.

"He was wearing black and red... and only the Tekken Force wears those colors." Shaheen replied.

Those words seemed to trigger Chloe big time. "T-Tekken... Force..."

"The sniper must be with them! If I could just get a bearing on him, I could corner him and..."

Shaheen looked in the distance: there he was, standing tall! He could see the glint of his scope!

"Chloe... run."

"H-huh?"

"I'm going to take care of that guy. Keep running in THAT direction, and no matter what you do, don't stop!"

"I don't want to leave you! Not with a big gash in your arm-mmmmph..."

Shaheen silenced her with a kiss. He put everything he had into this kiss... as if it would be his last.

"I'm coming back for you." he said upon breaking. "Now run!"

As soon as Chloe and Shaheen separated, a bullet struck the ground right next to them. This guy was getting sharper and sharper with each shot... Shaheen had to take him out now before he got any closer.

Shaheen started sprinting with all of his energy, the adrenaline making him almost forget the pain of his arm. He felt like he was pumped full of raw power, keeping his body moving for the sake of completing the mission. His soldier instincts were fully awakened.

"I lost the target, sir." Akashi said. "But the bodyguard is coming back around. I can still hit him!"

 _"Forget about the damned bodyguard! Gaaaah! Just get your ass back to ground level and hook up with Kaede and Gomo! You can all fall back to rally point and await my arrival."_

"Y-yes sir."

 _"And Akashi?"_

"...Sir?"

 _"You better not look me in the eye when I get over there. I have a good mind to break your face."_

"...Sorry, sir."

Shaheen looked up at the building: the sniper was gone! He must be about to pull out... Shaheen had to be fast. He couldn't let these guys get away and live to threaten Chloe a second day.

Shaheen kept running towards the target building, but suddenly...a sharp pain in his head. He felt it all at once: a sharp pain, a ringing in his ears, his entire world go blurry.

"Aggggh!"

It was so intense it brought him to his knees. And then... a familiar voice.

 _ **"What are you doing, Shaheen?! You're aiding the enemy!"**_

Shaheen gasped loudly as he tried to fight the pain. He clutched his head in agony, rolling around on the ground.

"UGHH! Aghhh... F-Faraj..."

 _ **"Chloe's not what you think she is. You shouldn't be protecting her!"**_

"Shut... up... I'm done with you Faraj!" Shaheen cried out. "You hear me?! You're already dead!"

 _ **"Heh heh heh... and who's to blame for my death? Why don't you ask the girl you've fallen in love with?"**_

"Wh-wha..."

 _ **"Don't you find it odd that she doesn't like to talk about who she's under contract with? She talks about having killed in the past, yet she gives no names."**_

"You... you mean... URRRRGH! I don't have time for this!"

Shaheen leaped to his feet and shook Faraj out of his head. He had to keep going... had to take care of those tangos...

After another minute of running, the building was getting nearer and nearer. This was it... he wasn't sure if the sniper was still atop it, but he had to try. Even if he had to sit there and starve him out, that sniper would never threaten Chloe again!

Unfortunately, Shaheen forgot the sniper had backup. He realized this all too late when his two squadmates met Shaheen out in the open and opened fire on him.

"Damn!" Shaheen cursed. He used his agility to dive and roll, the bullets impacting all around him but just far enough away to not pierce his skin. He still had his combat knife, but that was it; his scimitar was back at the hotel. Once again, hanging out with Chloe had softened him up...

Shaheen leaped up and, wielding the blade in his fingers, threw the combat knife with immense power and precision. The knife soared true, striking the man on the left (Gomo) in his shoulder and causing him to drop his gun.

"Gomo!" Kaede cried out. He angrily aimed his gun. "You bastard!"

Unfortunately, Kaede's magazine was empty. Gomo's was still half full, but he didn't have enough time to dive for his comrade's gun before Shaheen barreled into him and took him down. Kaede was mounted, but he used his ground knowledge to pry the much bigger man off of him and toss Shaheen aside.

Shaheen got up to his feet... and met the two soldiers with his fists raised. Kaede and Gomo got into stance as well, preparing to meet him in hand-to-hand.

"What do Tekken Force soldiers want with a popstar?" Shaheen asked.

"None of your god damned business, macho man." Gomo retorted.

"You're gonna regret getting involved in this dirty business." Kaede declared, widening his stance. "Trust me... you would've been much better off never meeting that girl."

Shaheen rolled his eyes. "You're not the only one to tell me that."

Gomo and Kaede rushed him at the same time, Gomo lagging behind because of his shoulder wound. Kaede closed distance and threw a roundhouse, but Shaheen ducked and Kaede had to twist his body around and follow through on the kick to avoid losing balance. Shaheen took advantage of this temporary halt to seize his back and use momentum to take him down to the ground. But before he had a chance to really do some damage, Gomo closed distance on him. Shaheen took advantage of his wounded shoulder by getting an underhook on his hurt side. Gomo winced in pain, and he was unable to defend Shaheen's knee smashing into his gut.

"Hnnnnnnghhhhhhh..."

As Gomo dropped to the ground, Shaheen spun around and received a fist to his left eye, courtesy of Kaede. The Tekken Force grunt followed up with a body shot to his ribs, followed by a hooking elbow to his nasal passage. Shaheen hit the dirt, grimacing from the pain, but his adrenaline allowed him to quickly get back to his feet.

Kaede threw a high kick, but Shaheen's forearms were up to block it. He tried to go low, but Shaheen caught his leg and threw Kaede off balance. Kaede was at his mercy, hopping around on one foot with his leg tucked in Shaheen's arm.

With a sharp breath, Shaheen drew his arm back and unleashed a devastating hooking elbow into Kaede's face, smashing his helmet from the force of the blow. Kaede was completely thrown off balance, and Shaheen merely twisted his leg one time and let go to completely redirect him and make him fall flat on his face. He didn't want Kaede to get back up and once again outnumber him, so he brought his boot down on the back of his knee to keep him down. His boot smashed against the bone, fracturing the fibula.

"AUUUUUUUGH!"

Gomo closed in on him and threw several wild punches, but Shaheen bounced them off of his shoulders and used his forearms to knock Gomo's hands aside. He noticed Gomo swinging a lot weaker on that hurt side... and Shaheen took advantage of it. He blocked the right hand, then waited for the left... there!

Shaheen seized his arm and thrust the rigid part of his palm into Gomo's shoulder, hitting him directly where the knife had struck.

"AGHH!"

The next palm hit Gomo in the face, right where his nose would be. Shaheen kept him in the clinch and rained several short punches in his face, backing Gomo up with each shot. Gomo was in too much pain to properly block the hits, so he was getting hit with each one clean.

Finally, Shaheen finished him off with a leg trip that brought him to the ground, but Shaheen was still holding that arm and the intense pull on it made Gomo cry out with pain. Shaheen raised his fist to the peak of its power, then brought all of his force raining down on Gomo's temple. The fist knocked him out in one blow, cracking his helmet in the process.

Now that they were down, it was time to get back to the sniper. But as Shaheen turned back around, he was met with the barrel of a gun: a very big sniper rifle to be exact.

"Think you can hit me from there?" Shaheen teased.

"SHUT UP! Don't you mock me, you bastard!" Akashi spat. "Just... get on your knees! Turn around and get on your knees!"

Shaheen knew one point-blank blast from that cannon would probably kill him instantly, so he obeyed. But already, his mind was frantically searching for a solution. And he saw it... Gomo's utility belt! On his unconscious body was the answer to this predicament.

Shaheen sat on his knees, hands up, waiting for his moment...

"Now... where is the girl?!" Akashi demanded.

"Why are you all so obsessed with Lucky Chloe?"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Akashi's interrogation was interrupted by a voice in his headset.

 _"All units, come in! This is Kaname! I have spotted the girl! Get your asses over here and back me up! NOW!"_

By the time those orders were received, it was already too late: Akashi looked down at his feet and saw a canister with the pin removed. It was a flash grenade, from Gomo's belt.

"Oh shit... GRENAD-!"

As soon as it detonated, his vision went white. A point-blank grenade to his face scrambled his brains, made his head spin around in its socket... he could only fall to his knees from the trauma.

When Akashi's vision cleared... he was met with the barrel of a gun: his own rifle.

"N-no... please... I don't even care about Chloe! It's just my boss!" he pleaded.

Shaheen stared at him, eyes devoid of mercy. He usually didn't like to do this... but today, they had gone too far. When his loved ones are threatened, he had no choice.

"Sorry, but you brought this on yourself."

"NO-"

Shaheen squeezed the trigger and shot Akashi in the face, killing him instantly.

Shaheen didn't even take time to think about what he just did. He immediately dropped the rifle and ran over to grab Gomo's rifle. He checked Gomo's body for any additional magazines, and stuffed them in his pocket.

"You killed Akashi! You asshole!" Kaede spat. "What is Chloe to you anyway?!"

Shaheen didn't even take the time to finish the job. He knew from Akashi's radio that Lieutenant Kaname was closing in on Chloe, and that was the most important thing at the moment. No matter what, he had to protect her; he couldn't afford to waste even a second.

"She's the girl who brought me back from Hell." Shaheen replied. He then immediately sprinted off after Chloe, leaving Kaede and Gomo laying there incapacitated.

 **MEANWHILE...**

Lucky Chloe had distanced herself far from the danger, or at least she thought. She was comfortably far enough away that the thoughts on her mind weren't of being shot... but of Shaheen. He risked his life for her... and she couldn't have felt more guilty. If the Tekken Force was there, it was only for one reason: her. She might as well have been the one to put the bullet in Shaheen's arm, because he would never have been shot had she not been a dog of the G Corporation.

"Shaheen... I have so much to tell you... so please live long enough to see me again..." Chloe sobbed.

Her remorseful thoughts were cut short by a loud, firm... but not very intimidating voice calling out to her.

"FREEZE!"

Chloe curiously turned around, wondering who the owner of that voice could be. It was definitely female, not at all the gruff barking of a Tekken Force grunt. But then again, this lady was shouting orders at her. Could she be...?

Chloe's suspicions were confirmed when she saw the source of the voice: a slender figure in white and red armor, with pink eyes on her helmet. She was wielding a rifle, albeit a little nervously.

"Don't move!" the female soldier commanded.

"I'm not." Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "Are you with those other guys?"

"Ummmm... uhhh... duh! Who else would I be with?!" the soldier spat, seeming a little offended by that question.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "S-sorry, just making sure! Um, sorry but... you seem a lot less intimidating than the other guys. You're kinda small... and you're not holding your gun firmly. You know, stock against the shoulder prevents recoil which can really hurt-"

"I DON'T NEED A REHASH OF BASIC TRAINING!" she barked.

Chloe recoiled. "Okay, okay! What's your designation then? Who the heck are you?"

The young female soldier suddenly did something a little unexpected; she gently placed her gun on the ground, then approached Chloe with her hands on her helmet. She stood only a couple of feet away from her captive, tugging gently on her helmet to try and pry it off. The helmet came off slowly, revealing a light-brown-skinned girl with short, scruffy dark hair. Her brown eyes stared into Chloe's face, full of vigor and determination.

"My name is Josie Rizal... and I am a Tekken Force soldier!"


	10. Chapter 10

"My name is Josie Rizal... and I am a Tekken Force soldier!" the female in white proudly beamed.

Chloe tilted her head, eyebrow raised. "You're... a Tekken Force soldier? Legit?"

Josie looked away and scratched her head meekly. "Ummm... well... not official. I'm just a trainee, hee hee..."

Chloe folded her arms and grinned. "Heh, that sounds more like it nya."

Josie broke out of her humble shell. "But that doesn't mean I'm not dangerous!"

"So what's a pretty girl like you doing hanging out with all these gruff soldiers nya?"

Josie thrust her finger menacingly. "For your information, Miss Cutie Patootie Popstar, some of us aren't comfortably living in this world with a lot of wealth! I need this job! My modeling career back in the Philippines isn't cutting it. Besides... it's always been a dream of mine to put on a uniform and fight for a just cause."

Chloe angrily stomped her foot. "A just cause? A JUST CAUSE? What could possibly be just about wanting to assassinate me?!"

Josie closed her eyes solemnly. "I realize that my commanding officer is not winning any Man of the Year awards... but he's my only hope. The only thing standing between a job with the most powerful empire in the world, and going back to a life of just getting by... is his word. If he puts in a good report, I can bring home some real money to my family. We don't have to settle for just what keeps us going!"

Josie pointed her finger once again. "And that's why... I have to capture you and take you to him!"

Chloe looked down at Josie's feet. "Well since you're dooming me anyways, why not just pick up your weapon and finish the job right now, hmm? Take my head to your boss. Become a hero of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Josie took a step forward, raising her fists. "That's not who I am."

"You think you can live the life of a soldier without getting some blood on your hands? We all have to cross that line eventually, nya." Chloe retorted.

"Sh-shut up! You should be grateful you get to live a little longer! Now... FIGHT!"

 **MEANWHILE...**

Shaheen sprinted back towards the direction Chloe had fled, Gomo's gun in his arms. Right now, his mind was driving him crazy. He had so many questions: why were the Tekken Force after them? Why didn't Chloe tell him they were after her? And why... why doesn't she just tell him who she works for?!

 _ **"What are you running towards, Shaheen? Are you running back to Chloe?"**_ the vision of Faraj teased from the recesses of Shaheen's mind.

"What do you think?" Shaheen replied between huffs.

 _ **"Get real, Shaheen. It's all but obvious now. Aren't you curious why the Tekken Force is after her? Who are they currently at war with? You should know who they are better than anyone..."**_

"I'll hear it from her own mouth, thank you!" Shaheen retorted.

 _ **"Heh heh heh... fine. Keep living in denial. Face it: I was right all along. I told you not to trust her... and you went and fell in love with her! You got in bed with the enemy!"**_

"SHE'S NOT A BAD GUY!" Shaheen screamed.

With that last outburst, he shook the voices out of his head and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry. His arm was still bleeding, and while he couldn't feel the pain right now, the loss of blood was making him dizzy. And the worse it got... the worse the voices seemed to get.

Josie and Chloe circled each other, each one in their respective stances: Chloe with her freestyle form, and Josie with a traditional kickboxing style. Chloe figured she had the advantage, at least in unpredictability. Maybe she could baffle the young soldier with her erratic movements and wild strikes.

Chloe lunged forward with a straight right which didn't even reach Josie, but allowed Chloe to close distance and throw a wild, spinning backfist. The wild swing missed and Chloe came back around with another crazy helicopter-like swing. She missed, but she continued to back Josie up. Chloe finished her combo with a high front kick, but her foot didn't reach Josie's face.

Josie took advantage of her throwing the high kick; her other leg was stationary. With a sharp breath, Josie pivoted her hip and threw a powerful leg kick that knocked Chloe's one planted foot out from under her. Chloe hit the ground butt-first, but quickly used her hands to spring her body back upwards.

The two didn't make any sudden moves for a few seconds. Finally, Josie was the one to push the action with a left high kick which Chloe blocked. Josie went low with another leg kick, smacking Chloe's same leg in the same exact spot. Chloe felt a slight numbness in the afflicted area, but she shook it off.

Josie lunged forward with a straight right, her longer limb reaching Chloe's face and hitting her in the nose. Chloe recoiled and Josie tried to follow up with a leg kick, but Chloe broke out the dance moves to avoid it. She used her right hand to do a handstand, thrusting her legs in the air and giving Josie a 1-2 kick to the body and head. As Josie stumbled backwards, Chloe used her hand to launch her forward with a flying dropkick that crashed into Josie's torso. Josie kept her forearms up, but the force of Chloe's body flying at her still knocked her on her butt.

Josie was down, but not fazed at all. She quickly emerged from the ground and resumed stance.

Chloe cartwheeled from left to right, trying to throw Josie off with her random pattern. After one last cartwheel, Chloe went low and somersaulted forward, snatching Josie's leg and lifting it.

"What the- WAAAH!"

From the ground Chloe did an impressive sweep to knock Josie's other foot off balance, making her fall to the ground. Chloe then pressed down on Josie's leg to launch herself into the air and come down on the kickboxer with a flying forearm smash. Josie raised her arms but was caught in the face with it and it threw her off momentarily.

Chloe backflipped to a safe distance as Josie slowly got back up to her feet. She took advantage of Josie recovering and charged forward, leaping into the air and throwing a flying cartwheel kick that plowed into Josie and stumbled her backwards. Chloe tried to push the action further, but Josie knew she had to distance the crazy dancer and regain her footing.

"Hyaaaa-OOOF!"

Chloe's breath was knocked out of her as Josie threw a front kick to her stomach, the sole of her boot stopping Chloe dead in her tracks. Chloe was on wobbly legs for a second, but didn't go down. Josie still took advantage, however, and threw a 1-2 punch followed by a high kick. The first punch hit Chloe's shoulder, the second punch caught her on the forehead, and the high kick smashed into her temple and sent her tumbling to the ground.

Chloe hissed as she brought her fist on the concrete. She was losing this fight... at this moment, she could only wonder where Shaheen was...

 **MEANWHILE...**

Shaheen continued to press onward, but he was getting slower and slower. Air started to become precious to him, as he had to stop several time to take in precious mouthfuls of it. And every time he stopped... Faraj was there to taunt him.

 _ **"You should stop right now. Stop, and just walk away. Let the Tekken Force finish her off."**_

"That's not an option." Shaheen wheezed.

 _ **"Why do you keep pressing forward? Aren't you scared of discovering the truth?"**_

"I..."

 _ **"You're afraid of me being right, heh heh. You're afraid of knowing the truth: that Chloe isn't who you thought she was. In fact, the face of the enemy you seek to destroy... could be hers-"**_

"SHUT UP!"

 _ **"Fine, keep moving. But don't say I didn't warn you. Just be prepared to do what's necessary when you find out what she really is."**_

The voice stopped after that. Shaheen's body began to tremble... what if it was true? Maybe he SHOULD stop here: just stop, and never know the truth. Maybe if he just went back to the suite, and waited for her... she would come running back to him with that cute face and they could just keep on going like normal. Just keep going...like there was nothing wrong. Just keep going, with nothing in the world mattering but their love...

But he knew he couldn't do that. Because right now, at this moment, the enemy was closing in on Chloe. He swore to protect her, and that's why he had to push onwards. No matter what the reality was... his duty was to protect Chloe.

Meanwhile, the battle was still raging. Josie continued to use her superior reach to pick Chloe apart. The dancer seemed to have no answer for Josie's crisp striking technique.

"HYAAAH!" Chloe screamed as she threw a sweep kick that Josie dodged, then transitioned into a flying somersault kick which only caught Josie's forearms. She tried to go to the midsection with a body kick, but Josie intercepted her kick mid-flight with her own powerful kick. Josie's leg prevailed over Chloe's, knocking the petite girl to the ground.

Chloe angrily dusted herself off and got back up. Josie immediately struck her once again with a leg kick, in the same spot she had been attacking the whole fight. This one was powerful; causing Chloe's knee to buckle from the accumulation of damage.

"Ngh! Shit..." she cursed. She quickly regained her footing and tried something new: she started to move around in a dancing fashion, her feet swaying and stepping all around, her body flowing in a way much like that of the legendary late Bruce Lee. This dancing stance would allow her to be lighter on her feet, and also put less strain on her leg.

Josie stepped forward with a ferocious roundhouse kick... but Chloe was nowhere near it.

"Whoa..."

Chloe danced to the left and came forward with a jab, then doubled up with a left hook. Both of them hit their mark.

"Gyaah!"

Josie threw a straight right, then closed distance and tried to uppercut. But again, Chloe danced out of the way. Chloe then went low with a breakdancing sweep kick, her left leg soaring and knocking Josie's foot off balance, then smashing into her face with the right leg. But Chloe continued to spin on the ground, using her hands to twist her body around and deliver another 1-2 kick to Josie's stomach and face.

"Guuh..." Josie groaned, stumbling backwards.

Chloe used her hands to spring back to her feet, then charged forward at full speed. Josie regained her stance and tried to intercept Chloe with a knee... but Chloe slid between her legs and emerged from the other side, kangaroo kicking her in the butt and using that momentum to roll forward back to her feet.

Chloe quickly turned around: Josie's back was still turned! With a grin, Chloe flipped upside down and clamped her legs around Josie's neck, then took her for a ride. Using the fascinating elements of leverage and momentum, Chloe was able to backflip, lift Josie high in the air and slam her down with a Frankensteiner. Chloe smoothly transitioned to a full mount and started raining punches on Josie's face. Since Chloe was sitting on her neck area, Josie couldn't properly get her arms up to block the shots.

"This...fight...is...over... nya!" Chloe yelled between punches.

"I...won't...LOSE!" Josie spat in defiance.

Josie used all her strength to explode from the bottom and throw Chloe off of her. As Chloe tumbled to the ground, it became a race to see who would get up first. They both were unable to capitalize, so they each distanced themselves and reset.

They had both gotten some good shots in, but this battle couldn't go on forever. One of them had to go down... and Josie still had the superior reach.

Meanwhile, Shaheen was closing fast. He could hear the sounds of combat: female voices grunting, the thuds of limb against limb. It sounded like Chloe was fighting someone!

"CHLOEEEE!" Shaheen cried out.

He arrived just in time to see the conclusion of the fight: Josie threw a kick to Chloe's ribs, and the dancer had used up too much energy to dodge it. The kick brought her to her knees temporarily, but she sprang back up. With a desperate yell, Chloe tried to close distance with a right hook, but Josie intercepted her with a knee to the body. This one DID drop her.

"Ooooooof...ughhhhh..."

Chloe rolled around on the ground in pain, coughing violently as her breaths burned her lungs. She curled up in a fetal position, her arms up covering her face and body from anymore punishment. She was done.

"I win... now you gotta come with me!" Josie commanded.

"Hold it!"

Josie gasped when she heard the firm male voice call out to her. She turned around, and recoiled with shock when she came face to face with Shaheen.

"Oh no! Aw, where did you come from?" she whined.

"This is over." Shaheen declared, aiming his rifle at the young female intern.

"You must be the bodyguard." Josie stated. "Maaaan this is not fair! I won already! Can't you just let me have this?!"

Shaheen rolled his eyes and approached the downed Chloe, keeping his gun fixated on Josie as he leaned down and tended to her.

"Chloe..." he whispered softly.

"S-sorry Shaheen... *cough cough* I couldn't beat her... nya..." Chloe wheezed.

"It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here." he softly assured, reaching down to stroke her face.

"N-N-NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" Josie cried out. "This isn't right! You don't get to have a sweet, romantic moment! This is MY happy ending! I'm gonna take Chloe back to my boss, and he's gonna help me become a full fledged Tekken Force soldier! I need this!"

Shaheen saw Josie get into stance, and he knew she wasn't going to back down. Leaving his weapon on the ground, he stood up and met her halfway.

"If you want Chloe... then you'll have to take me out too." Shaheen declared.

Josie's legs slightly trembled as she faced the bigger man. She was having much larger doubts about her ability to win this one, especially since she's at a disadvantage of having already been through a fight. She would have to end this quickly, lest it drag out and she use up all her energy. His arm looks wounded... maybe she could take advantage of that...?

Shaheen got a good look at his opponent: her face was swelling in multiple areas. Her mouth was wide open, so breathing must have been a chore. Chloe gave her a hell of a scrap, it would seem. Shaheen had to finish this... while his mind was still lucid.

Josie threw a jab to gauge her range; her fist reached Shaheen but bounced off his shoulder. This was good... she could piece him up with kicks.

"HIYAH!" Josie kiai'd as she went high with one of her brutal kicks. Shaheen managed to take the full force in his arm... the same arm that had been shot.

As soon as Shaheen felt the stinging pain, his vision went blurry, his world distorted... and he saw Faraj stand before him.

 _ **"YOU...MUST... LEAVE HER!"**_

As quickly as Faraj appeared, he vanished: in his place was Josie's fist.

"Ngah!" Shaheen grunted as he was caught in the eye with a straight left. He was sent stumbling backwards, and Josie stood there for a second, pleasantly surprised with herself.

Shaheen dropped to one knee and looked into the palm of his own hand. With an angry grunt, he slapped himself repeatedly in an effort to shake off the delirium. He had to stay up... until he knew the truth...

Josie came forward with a lunging front kick to the body, but Shaheen easily caught her leg and brought the sole of his foot into her other shin. Josie squealed in pain and was brought to the ground, and Shaheen followed up with a boot to her ribs.

Already Josie seemed to be disheartened, as she crawled away from Shaheen on her hands and knees, coughing and producing labored breaths. But still she persisted, getting back to her feet and getting into stance.

She grunted and threw a high front kick, but Shaheen swayed back to avoid it. She went low with a leg kick... but her tired leg only bounced off of Shaheen's calf like a rubber mallet.

"Ah! Oww owww..." she hissed. She was the one who felt the effects of her own kick, as her lower leg began to numb.

"GRAAAH!" Shaheen growled as he threw his own devastating inside leg kick. His shin soared true and blasted Josie below the knee, knocking her on her face like someone had pulled a rug out from under her.

"Agh...unnng..." Josie groaned as she was slow to get up. With each bodily movement, she seemed slower and slower.

Shaheen threw a hook to her ribs, dropping her to one knee. Josie quickly rose and tried to counter with a 1-2 punch and kick, but Shaheen swatted her hands away and caught her kick in his hand. He raised her leg higher, exposing her midsection, then quickly let go of it and threw a flying, spinning back kick to her stomach. Josie went flying a few feet and impacted hard, her legs in the air like a folding chair before they plopped to the ground.

Shaheen stood firm with his fists raised, his wounded arm causing him immense pain now and his head spinning from the blood loss. But still he stood his ground, as Josie crawled to her feet on wobbly legs.

"I...can't...lose... I must win for..." Josie coughed out. A few whimpers were mixed in, followed by a sniffle...

Shaheen noticed tears start flowing from her eyes. Right now, Josie Rizal didn't look like an aspiring soldier; she looked like a scared girl, who didn't know what her future held. A girl who just wanted to make her family happy, and was willing to take extreme measures to do so. He started to feel a twinge of sympathy... but he had to dismiss it and remember why he was fighting.

Josie cried out with everything she had left and rushed Shaheen. She threw wild punches to the head and body, not attempting to conserve her energy whatsoever. Left, right, a wild kick to the head. A follow-up to the body. She closed her eyes and swung wildly with no restraint, praying that one of them would knock him out. But to no avail...

 _ **"You're gonna die, Shaheen! You're gonna die here if you don't do something! HAHAHAHAHA!"**_

Shaheen hissed with impatience and finally caught one of her sloppy kicks under his armpit. He locked her leg tight, keeping her there hopping on one foot. With a growl, he drew his arm back and backhanded her in the face, then followed up with a crushing fist to her already hurt ribs. He drew his fist back once more and smashed her in the eye socket, Josie's stationary leg finally giving out as she fell to a knee. Shaheen finished her off by raising his boot and bringing it down on her face, finally letting go of her leg and letting her crumple to the ground.

Josie lay flat on the ground, unable to continue. Her tears flowed freely as she coughed and wheezed, spitting blood from her lip. She didn't even care about the pain: she was just angry at her failure. Above everything else, nothing mattered to her except the family she let down back home. She was so close... victory was at hand, and that man came and ruined it. She hated him... she wanted to curse his name...

Her busted, bloody lips produced the most articulate insult she could think of...

"...G Corp scum."

Those three words stopped Shaheen in his tracks.

"...What did you just call me?"

Chloe got to her knees and attempted to grab him. "Sh-Shaheen-"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Shaheen barked.

Josie's eyes widened with fear as Shaheen grabbed her gun and shoved it in her face. Her tears started spilling twice as hard, as death stared her right in her young face.

"YOU DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT! EVER!" he growled, his eyes bloodshot with an animalistic rage.

"Shaheen, STOP!" Chloe cried out. She fought to get back to her feet, only to stumble forward just enough to grab him.

"NO! NO!" Shaheen yelled repeatedly. "NOOO!"

Chloe tried to wrestle him as Shaheen screamed wildly and fired the gun in all directions. His mind had snapped. Nothing, nobody could quell him now. It had been a long time coming, with Shaheen silently dreadin what would finally set him over the edge. It was those words...

Shaheen angrily pushed Chloe off of him and faced her. "What are you, Chloe?! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"Wh-why do you care?!" Chloe squealed, her eyes flowing with tears now.

"...Just tell me."

 _"...Lieutenant Kaname. If you can hear me, I'm approaching the target."_

"Shaheen..."

"Just tell me. Are you... do you really work for him?"

Chloe closed her eyes. "Yes! Okay? Yes! I'm G Corporation! I sold my soul to G Corp for an easy life!"

"So it's true..." Shaheen's voice seemed to grow almost to a whisper.

"Yeah, it's true. So what? That's what I've been so scared to tell you, okay? But I thought maybe, just maybe you wouldn't care... because of what we have together." Chloe replied with a sob.

Shaheen fell to his knees as he fought back the tears until they stung. He clenched his teeth together, his fingernails dug into his fists until it broke the skin. This realization was physically painful to him. He could have denied it... denied it until the day he died... but now he heard it from her own mouth. It was true, whether he liked it or not.

"I'm just like you, Shaheen. I'm a soldier who's been forced to kill just to make ends meet. Everything I have... it's because G Corp funds it. If I don't do what they tell me, I don't have a life."

"...It's really true... you're just one of Kazuya Mishima's lapdogs."

Chloe was taken aback by this. "I'm what? I'm a what?!"

Shaheen got to his feet and looked into her teary eyes, his own eyes wrought with fury and angry tears. "You kill in Kazuya Mishima's name!"

Chloe got back to her feet and got in his face. "So what? What makes you any better than me, huh? What gives you the right to be self f***ing righteous?!"

"DID YOU KILL FARAJ TOO?!"

Chloe stepped backwards, her face frozen with shock. She stammered as the words failed to materialize properly.

"Wh...wh..wha..?"

Shaheen stepped forward. "Faraj Al-Hassan! An oil tycoon and his family! A just, honorable, selfless man who was my best friend! KAZUYA MISHIMA IS TO BLAME FOR HIS DEATH! And if you work for him... it's no different than if you pulled the trigger yourself!"

"Shaheen... you never told me G Corp killed your-"

"How could you lie to me like this? You kept the truth from me! You killed him! YOU KILLED HIM!"

"No!"

 _"This is Gomo. I've got a clear path to her! I'm taking her down!"_

Shaheen cried out in pain as his brain pounded against his skull. A sharp ringing noise penetrated his ears, the pain so great that the blood vessels in his eyes nearly exploded. He fell to his knees, his hands on his head as he writhed in pain.

"Agh...my... head... make it.. stop! AGHHHHHHHHH!"

Shaheen closed his eyes, and when he opened... everything was black. He couldn't see anything or anybody except himself... and Chloe, standing right in front of him. She was completely frozen in place, the tears still streaming from her eyes. She was looking right at him, but her mouth was unable to make words.

And then... a familiar voice spoke.

 _ **"I told you. Didn't I tell you?"**_

Shaheen grunted and coughed from the pain, forcing the name from his lips.

"Faraj..."

 _ **"You should have trusted me from the start, my brother. I told you to leave Chloe when you had the chance, but you continued to stay with her. I told you she wasn't to be trusted... and still you let her into your heart."**_

"I... how was I supposed to know...?"

 _ **"You never had to know. You could have been spared this pain if you just listened to me. But don't worry... we can fix this right now."**_

"Agh...ah...ug...h-how...?"

 _ **"Look, right in front of you! She right there! The girl who killed me is right there in front of you!"**_

"Stop! Y-you're lying! You're not the real Faraj..."

 _ **"Hahahaha! You said it yourself! She works for Kazuya Mishima! She's his lapdog! The blood is just as much on her hands as it is on his!"**_

"N-no..."

 _ **"Grab your weapon."**_

"N-no, I...!"

 _ **"Kill her..."**_

"No!"

 _ **"KILL HER!"**_

"NO!"

 _ **"KILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHER"**_

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Shaheen lunged forward like a predator, his mind filled with bloodlust as all rational thought had been stripped away. He plowed into his target, achieving full mount effortlessly. He stared at the trembling target with bloodshot eyes as he raised the stock of the rifle over his head.

"N-no! Please! BOSS HELP M-"

With a feral cry, Shaheen brought the rifle crashing down on his target's head. But he didn't stop there. No... he was just getting started. He lifted the rifle again and brought it down a second time. The screams stopped after that. From there on, Shaheen proceed to brutally pound the lifeless body with his gun, beating the face to a bloody pulp and smashing the skull. For minutes and minutes he seemed to hammer the body, as if he was unleashing every last ounce of his pent-up rage and madness. He was cleansing his body, with each violent blow. He swung and swung, until his muscles gave out from exhaustion.

When it was over... Shaheen dropped the bloody gun to the ground and collapsed. His chest heaved with burning breaths as his eyes stared directly upwards, into the sun above. The bright light stung his eyes, until tears filled his eyelids and all he could see was a misty blur. At last, was the darkness gone...?


	11. Chapter 11

**Pack your tissues: this is gonna get heavy. This penultimate chapter marks the end of the Tekken Force/Josie Rizal side plot, so sit back and enjoy.**

Shaheen lay dormant for a while, a chilling silence shared at that current moment as those still living attempted to process what Shaheen had just done. Death and brutality were common in their line of work... but never in their young lives had they beared witness to such a gruesome act of violence.

At Shaheen's side lay the corpse of Gomo, who had recovered from being knocked out and was trying to continue his mission. He had managed to sneak up behind Chloe and was about to finish her off... but Shaheen never gave him the chance. Even in his darkest insanity, Shaheen's instincts still drove him to protect her... despite everything...

Josie made no effort to hide her tears now... or the contents of her stomach. The young girl's innocence was now stained: a price she thought she wouldn't have to pay until much later in her service. Her baptism by fire just came very abruptly... and hit her directly in the face.

Shaheen tried to crawl to his feet, his own tears flowing as well. He couldn't believe what he just did. Every factor had accumulated against him: blood loss, injury, exhaustion... and his own dark desires of vengeance that still resided in his heart. No matter what, he couldn't escape it.

He tried to shrug those thoughts aside and focus on Chloe. He just wanted to see her alive. But as he turned and looked at her face... he knew he had gone too far. The face she wore was one of pure fear, but with other subtle contents within: heartbreak, betrayal, scorn... maybe even hatred. Everything they had been through, these four days they had spent together... Shaheen severed all of it. And now, the girl he loved probably never wanted to see him again.

"Chloe... he was coming at you." Shaheen tried to justify.

Chloe immediately backed up. "Just stay away from me, Shaheen!"

"Chloe... I'm sorry." he said, his head tilting down. The apology wasn't one of desperation... but of pure defeat.

"I'm sorry too... for everything." Chloe replied, her voice cracking. "Now, just leave me alone. If you come near me again, I... I don't know what I'll do. J-just stay away."

That's how their potential last words went; Chloe wasted no time turning around and running away, as fast as her hurt leg would take her. The girl who loved him just a while ago, now ran away from him like he was a monster. Shaheen was left standing there... watching the girl who he gave his heart to leave him.

Above everything else, there was one thing he was thinking right now. He wasn't thinking about revenge, or the person he just killed, or the voices in his head. He was thinking... it couldn't end like this. He would have to go after Chloe. They had been through too much together... too much for it to end this way. She was his light. Without her... who knows what Shaheen could do?

But in his current shape, there was no way he could chase her. He had lost so much blood, he could barely see straight. The wound wasn't congealing properly, probably because of all the fighting he was still doing.

With this in mind, Shaheen turned to the only person he could.

"...Hey, girl."

"DON'T HURT MEEE!" Josie squealed.

"I need you to patch me up. You re-opened my wound with that kick you threw. Look, see? I'm bleeding everywhere."

"You're joking!" Josie cried. "Why would I help you! You're my enemy... r-right?"

"I'm not G Corporation, if that's what you're asking." Shaheen replied. He casually approached Josie, who looked like her ghost was about to leap out of her skin and take a cab to the afterlife.

"Th-th-then what are you?"

Shaheen pressed his hand against a wall, just to prop himself up. "I... I just want to protect the ones I love."

"S-s-so you're not gonna kill me?"

But Shaheen never got a chance to answer that question. Two gunshots suddenly rang out, and the next thing he knew... he went down.

"Ah!" Josie cried out when she saw who it was. She didn't know if she was supposed to stand up and salute or not... so she just stayed where she was.

Shaheen struggled to even look straight as he saw his blood trickle upon the ground once again: from his leg as well as his other arm. If he could move before, movement was impossible now. All he could do was lay there; if someone wanted to kill him now, it would be impossible to stop.

And then... a voice.

"Holy shit... did you do that to Gomo?!"

Shaheen saw a black and green blur appear in front of him. The figure removed his helmet, then looked down in Shaheen's face with a grin.

"Soooo... you're the one who's been interfering with my mission."

Shaheen grunted and shook his head, trying to clear his vision and get a good look at the man. He was obviously a Tekken Force soldier, but wearing green on his armor instead of red. This guy must be the leader.

"So... you're the... one... who's been trying to kill Chloe..." Shaheen grunted out.

The man stood proudly. "Yep! Second Lieutenant Kaname, 5th Tekken Force Infantry Division. Platoon Leader... formerly."

"Ugh... ah... f-former..ly...?"

"Heh heh. Alas, my loyal men died off little by little. And you know what the worst part was? There was nothing to gain from their deaths. In all the time I've been in the Tekken Force, I've seen some of my best friends die. You know how I chose to honor their deaths? By living on... and achieving greatness. But still... STILL... that greatness eludes me!"

Lieutenant Kaname turned and looked at the sky, as if he wasn't speaking directly to anyone. "And so, I decided to go rogue and take whatever men I had left with me to Dubai in order to accomplish this... personal mission."

He abruptly turned and pointed a finger at Shaheen. "And YOU have gotten in the way of things, my friend!"

Josie finally opened her mouth. "S-SIR!"

Kaname finally acknowledged her presence. "Ah, you're the intern. Still around, huh? I thought I told you to leave."

"Sir... you lied to me! You never told me you went rogue! I... I thought I was placed under your command to complete my final field test!"

Kaname shrugged with a grin. "Eh? Well I guess there was a mix-up. This was a one-way trip, sweetheart. I was either gonna succeed or go AWOL. But it's okay, you see? Because I CAN still succeed! As long as I'm alive, that's all that really matters."

"Ah! B-but what about me?"

"WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" Kaname spat. "You mean nothing to me! NOTHING! You should just get out of my sight before I kill you myself!"

Their conversation was cut short by a gunshot impacting at the Lieutenant's feet.

"What the hell?!" he grunted, jumping a foot backwards.

In the distance, a Tekken Force soldier approached on shaky legs, his rifle aimed at his own boss. Judging by his hurt leg, which he was basically dragging, it must have been Kaede.

"Who the hell are you?!" Lieutenant Kaname spat, raising his handgun. "Take off the helmet!"

"It's Kaede... sir."

"Kaede. Can I ask why you discharged your weapon next to my feet?"

Kaede suddenly snatched off his helmet and threw it down. "Because THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Kaname raised a hand and stroked his stubble. "You'll have to elaborate... corporal. I'm not sure what you're implying."

"EVERYONE'S DEAD! Gomo, Akashi, Ukita, Sakuraba, Naito... we're the only ones left! Because of you and your selfishness!"

Lieutenant Kaname merely grinned. "Cmon... half of those deaths weren't even my fault. They were hers. If you want to take out your anger on someone, then kill the stupid intern."

"We're here because of you! I never wanted to go rogue!" Kaede spat. "I was just following you... because I thought you had the answers. I thought you would do what was best for us."

"Don't try to put this on me, Kaede!" Lieutenant Kaname growled. "If my men weren't total idiots, we could have succeeded already! I did my part! But you guys couldn't kill one stupid, singing, dancing girl!"

"We wouldn't even be here if you weren't so obsessed with your own personal glory!" Kaede retorted.

"Hmph... then I guess that's where we differ."

Josie's eyes widened as Lieutenant Kaname pulled the trigger, putting a hole in Kaede's head before the soldier had time to react. Lieutenant Kaname's aim was swift and true as he dropped his own man, killing him instantly.

"...I'm not willing to just shut my mouth and obey orders. I'm not content to just be a pawn in some bigger man's stupid war. I'm in this for ME! Nobody else! ME!"

Not even taking time to think about what he did, Lieutenant Kaname spun around and aimed the gun at Josie. The girl immediately started whimpering.

"And YOU... you contributed greatly to my failure as well, you dumb bitch. You, with your little soldier fantasies. I lost three men... THREE MEN... to your stupidity."

"Ahh... n-n-noooo p-p-p-please... I have a family..." Josie whimpered.

"Oooooh I have a family, I have a family, bleeeh!" Kaname mocked. "You would've been better off just doing adult movies! This isn't the life you choose for making a quick buck! This isn't the life for thinking of others! Being a soldier is about rising up and TAKING IT ALL FOR YOURSELF!"

"Enough. Just let her go..." Shaheen groaned.

"Ah, still awake huh? Good. We're not done yet either. Just wait there a sec while I deal with the stupid rookie."

Kaname grinded his teeth together as the gun in his hand trembled. "I told you. Didn't I tell you? DID I NOT TELL YOU?! I told you to just leave. You had your chance to leave and never look back. So why are you still here?!"

"I...I...I wanna be a soldier!' Josie whined. "I put all my faith in you... sir..."

"Then you chose wrong."

Kaname's finger approached the trigger. Josie shut her eyes tight and prepared for the inevitability of death...

"Just let her GO!" Shaheen grunted, leaping up and tackling Lieutenant Kaname's legs at the knees. Kaname's gun flew out of his hands, and Josie immediately took the opportunity to leap to her feet and sprint for her life. She ran and ran, her mind unable to plan anything else except surviving right then.

Kaname growled angrily as Josie disappeared from sight. "Grrr! You are REALLY pissing me off!"

The struggle only lasted a few more seconds, as Lieutenant Kaname easily threw the wounded Shaheen off of him. For a second, he went to pick up his gun... but surprisingly, he changed his mind. Surprisingly, he instead opted to sit down on the ground right next to where Shaheen lay. His hand crept over to his gun... just in case.

"Let's just quit these hostilities, shall we? At the end of the day, I'm not your enemy and you're not my enemy." Kaname calmly stated. "But we both have the same enemy... the G Corporation."

Shaheen was unable to move at all after that little adrenaline dump; he could only lay there and groan, and hope Lieutenant Kaname was in a good mood. His life was pretty much in the soldier's hands now.

"Just so you know, I overheard your little argument with Chloe as I was making my way to your position. I didn't make my presence known for strategical reasons. Ya know, playing my cards right and all that jazz."

Again, Shaheen had no response. He merely grunted in pain as he faded in and out of consciousness.

"It's ironic, really. You killed my men protecting that girl... only to find out she works for the same corporation that's responsible for your friend's death. It makes me wonder... why did my men have to die? Why did I have to go through all this to kill her? If only you had found out in the first place, all this could have been avoided."

Still, Shaheen had nothing to say. He was aware of what Lieutenant Kaname was saying... but he was too tired and hurt to form a response.

"But it's okay. I'm a smart man. I know how to salvage a precarious situation."

Kaname got back to his feet and grinned. "So here's what's gonna happen... we're gonna be allies. I'll treat your injuries, since they're only flesh wounds. I'll shoot you full of some sweet pain-killer. We go and intercept Chloe before she leaves the country... and we take her head."

Kaname looked down at Shaheen, awaiting his reaction. But he said nothing; just kept groaning in pain.

"Hey, are you listening to me?! Look, it's a win-win for both of us, okay? You get your revenge, I get to bring Chloe's head back to Mr. Heihachi and finally get the glory I deserve. Hell, maybe I'll put in a good word for you and you can serve the Mishima Zaibatsu. You'll have the most powerful empire in the world watching your back! You can finally quit doing low-level grunt work, bodyguarding popstars for peanuts."

Shaheen was finally able to grunt out a response. "Y-you... want me... to betray... the person I..."

"Betray? SHE BETRAYED YOU! It's an eye for an eye world out here, my friend. You're not seriously telling me you're gonna pass up the chance to strike a crippling blow to the company you've sworn revenge on? Lucky Chloe is their brand! They put Lucky Chloe on billboards, coffee mugs, vending machines... she's f***ing everywhere in Japan! You help me kill her... and the Mishima Zaibatsu will be one step closer to destroying G Corp! Isn't that what you want?!"

Shaheen struggled until he managed to get to one knee. "Ngh...ahhh... not if it means... hurting Chloe."

Kaname stuck his finger in his ear mockingly. "Am I hearing this right? Did you seriously just say that? How stupid are you?!"

Shaheen groaned as he collapsed back to the ground with a groan. He knew that wasn't the answer Lieutenant Kaname wanted to hear... so he had to try and get up and make something happen QUICK.

"I'm giving you a ticket out, here!" Kaname screamed, his words coming out with such force that saliva flew from his mouth. "Don't you get it, you freakin idiot! We've won the lottery! Chloe is in our grasp! Lucky freaking Chloe, the face of G Corporation! We take her down, and we'll become immortal! Don't f*** with the Mishima Zaibatsu, you hear me! There's no opposing the mightiest empire! You just play by the rules and live long enough to get all the riches!"

"...You're the one who doesn't get it." Shaheen muttered. "You talk as if I'm like you. Well newsflash: I'm not. I don't kill for personal gain... I kill to protect. Even now, I still haven't crossed that line."

Kaname put a hand on his hip and grinned. "Oh really?! So I suppose you were bashing Gomo's head in repeatedly to protect Chloe? Because it looked to me like you were just redirecting some very f***ed up emotions!"

"I admit I lost myself for a minute!" Shaheen shouted, a few groans following after. "But I'm still me. I could have gunned Chloe down where she stood... but I didn't. Because what me and her have is far bigger than the Mishima Zaibatsu, G Corporation, or vengeance!"

"...I've heard enough." Lieutenant Kaname bluntly stated. Those words were followed by the cocking of his handgun, which he once again aimed at Shaheen. The barrel was staring him directly in the eyes; a single squeeze from the trigger would end it all.

"Let the record show that I am NOT a selfish man. I gave you the chance to share the glory with me, and you turned it down. Well that's FINE BY ME! If you want to keep your loyal stupid devotion to that girl, you can be the first to suffer the fate that she's about to-"

But for some reason... the gunshot came early? No... this couldn't have been from Kaname's handgun. This wasn't the sound of a single round bursting. This was the rat-a-tat of an automatic. Some other weapon just fired...?

Kaname seemed to realize this soon after Shaheen did... but his facial expression was much different from Shaheen's shock. His face seemed to wince in pain; it wasn't until Shaheen saw the red begin to seep from his stomach that he realized as well.

"...Who the hell... shot me..." were the next words wheezed from his mouth as Lieutenant Kaname collapsed to the ground. He initially fell facefirst, clutching his stomach, but he had enough strength to roll over on his back so he could maybe get a look at his attacker.

"Hey... did... you see.. who did that...?" Kaname wheezed, his voice growing quieter with each word.

Shaheen did in fact see who pulled the trigger: that volley of bullets was courtesy of the wobbling rifle held by the trembling hands of Josie Rizal. She had come back... and the young girl now had the experience of her first kill. Or so it seemed...

"Oh my god." she cried, dropping the rifle immediately. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod... what have I done? I just blasted my... oh..ah...I'm gonna cry..."

Kaname's eyes widened upon hearing that voice... but his lips oddly curled upwards with a grin.

"Ohhh no... no no no. Man, please... please don't tell me... that f***ing dumb bimbo is the one who shot me...?" he coughed out.

Shaheen quickly snatched up Kaname's handgun while he had the chance, just in case he had to defend himself from Josie. But the trainee didn't seem to be interested in killing Shaheen; she approached her fallen boss, tears flowing once again from her eyes.

"S-sir... it was me. I...ahh...I'm so sorry... but you were being bad..."

"Just shut the hell up, intern." Lieutenant Kaname wheezed out, followed by a cough.

"Y-yes sir." Josie squeaked.

Kaname looked up at the sky and chuckled. "Heh heh heh... I can't believe this. Of course it was you. You freaking dummy... you got three of my best men killed... and now you've killed your commanding officer too... heh heh heh..."

"I had to look out for myself, sir. You wanted to kill me. You... you weren't acting in the best interest of me joining the Tekken Force." Josie meekly replied, unconsciously rubbing her arm.

"Looking out for yourself? I like that!" Kaname chuckled. "I guess you learned something! Now use this invaluable knowledge I've taught you... to go make something of yourself..."

"B-b-b-but I... what do I do now, sir? I..I don't know what to do... I don't know what to do..." Josie sobbed.

"Well, I'll tell you what you do first." Kaname replied. "First... I need you to finish me off. Don't let me lay here and bleed out. Please... I'm really hurting... I don't want to die slowly like this..."

"Okay... a-are those your f-final orders sir?"

"Well duh."

Josie's entire body shook as she bent down and attempted to pick up her weapon. Her hands shook violently, almost as if she was seizing. She tried to pick it up... but her hands shook so wildly that the weapon fell immediately. She tried to pick it up again... and again the gun slipped out of her wobbly fingers.

"I...I..I...I CAN'T!" Josie squealed. "M-m-my hands! They won't stop shaking! I c-c-c-an't pick up my rifle, sir!"

Kaname let out a long, labored groan. "Ughhhhhh... you mean to tell me... you filled me full of holes... and now you're too damn incompetent to finish the job? All of my men got a quick death, and I want one too! So PLEASE...pull the f***ing trigger... and let me be with my men...!"

Kaname coughed violently as blood spewed from his mouth. But the blood had nowhere to go, so it trailed back into his throat until he started choking on it. He lay there in front of them, coughing, choking, wriggling as his lungs failed. Josie could only fall to her knees and turn the other way as she wailed at her own helplessness.

Finally... the gunshot came and Lieutenant Kaname breathed his last. The bullet that ended his life came from his own pistol, fired by Shaheen. This wasn't a kill for vengeance, protection, self-defense... this was a kill of mercy.

"Th-thank you..." Josie muttered softly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't..."

"It's okay." Shaheen replied softly. "There's a line we soldiers all have to cross eventually. Lucky for you... you can stay on your side a little while longer."

Shaheen crawled over to the nearby wall, so he could prop himself up and get some elevation. As his back rested against the flat surface, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to muster whatever consciousness he had left in him so he could complete his final objective. At least now, maybe he had a helping hand...

"...Miss, I need you."

Josie wiped her tears and looked at him. "Y-yes?"

"You owe me now... so I need you to give me something to keep me going. Anything."

"Um, w-well, I think Gomo had an adrenaline shot in his kit. That's the best I can do."

"Then give it to me... fast..."

Josie quickly ran over to Gomo's corpse, turning her head to avoid the gruesome sight. She reached around in the pouch he had kept on his belt and pulled out a syringe filled with liquid. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran over to Shaheen and stabbed him in the leg, directly on one of his wounds so it could enter the bloodstream quicker.

"Gh-GHUUUUUUGHK!" Shaheen gasped as his body arched. He held that pose for a few seconds until his muscles finally released and he leaped to his feet.

"Huff...huff... damn... thank you..."

"So... what will you do now? Are you, I mean, are we...?"

Shaheen used his hand to push himself off the wall and get steady on his feet again. When he was comfortably walking, he immediately turned in the direction Chloe had ran.

"As long as you don't hurt Chloe, we're fine." he finally replied.

"Oh! Uhh, okay! That's cool. But, um... I still don't... what do I do...?"

"Just pick up a radio. Use your head. You can still save yourself. But this is where we part ways... so please don't let me see you again."

"Ah! G-gotcha! Okay... bye... good luck!"

Josie waved as she and Shaheen parted ways, both of them with their own goals to reach. Shaheen was running towards his... and now she had to do the same.

"Okay, here we go..." she nervously muttered as she grabbed Kaname's radio. With a clearing of her throat, she spoke.

"AHEM! Command! This is Tekken Force Trainee Rizal! Requesting immediate evac from Dubai! M-my squad is all dead. M-my commanding officer went rogue. I... had to relieve him of duty."

 **TO BE CONCLUDED**


	12. Chapter 12

**This is it: the pulse-pounding conclusion. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers, especially my loyal followers. And thanks to DaMastah101, who I wrote this for.**

 **Enjoy. And don't ask for a sequel.**

Shaheen traversed forward on unsteady legs; despite the adrenaline shot Josie generously gave him, his wounds still couldn't be denied. At this point, only one driving force was still pushing him forward... Chloe. His legs trudged onward, fueled by his desire for reconciliation and closure. If Chloe left the country, his chance would be blown; she would be gone from his life forever, their last memory together her witnessing him do something truly terrifying. No... it couldn't end like that! Not after everything...!

"Chloe!' he cried out, until the voice was drained from his throat. "CHLOE!"

A sharp pain in his head... a rushing torrent of dizziness! No... it was happening again. Even now, he could still hear him...!

 _ **"I'm glad you're doing the right thing, my brother. Go to her... seek her out... SO YOU CAN FINISH THE JOB!"**_

"N-no... shut up..." Shaheen hissed aloud to the Faraj hallucination. He shook his head back and forth, trying to force the dark thoughts out once and for all.

 _ **"Lucky Chloe represents the face of evil! She represents the people responsible for my death! Are you just going to forgive her?!"**_

"She didn't do anything wrong!" Shaheen barked aloud to the sky.

 _ **"Do you really believe that? How many innocents do you think Kazuya has ordered her to kill in the past? G Corporation is nothing but a corrupt conglomerate, filled with degenerates, murderers, and liars. Kazuya brought them all in when he took power. Lucky Chloe is just one of his new additions!"**_

"N-no... I don't believe you!" Shaheen screamed. "You're just trying to mess with my head... make me do something I'll regret. It's not going to happen... It's not..."

 _ **"Then why am I still here?! Don't delude yourself, Shaheen! As long as I'm in your head, you will always, deep down, have those vengeful thoughts still brewing! My job is to FREE THOSE THOUGHTS! If you want me gone... TRULY want me gone... then I wouldn't exist."**_

Shaheen stopped, collapsing to his knees. With an angry cry, he brought his fists down on the ground.

"THEN TELL ME HOW TO GET RID OF YOU!"

 _ **"...Well, just choose right now nya~"**_

"What the...?"

That voice didn't belong to Faraj. That voice was... Chloe's!

"Ch-chloe... is that you...?" Shaheen muttered, his hands trembling as he put them to his temple.

 _ **"Yep! And heads up... you're about to temporarily faint, nya."**_

"Wha-ughhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Shaheen felt his legs grow heavy; next thing he knew, he was brought to the ground like a dropping anchor. His world went black...

When Shaheen re-opened his eyes, he was met with a strange sight: a room, one half black and red, and one half white and pink. On the dark half stood the visual representation of his best friend, Faraj Al-Hassan. And on the light half... stood the girl he had fallen in love with.

 _ **"Hello, my brother."**_ Faraj said with a nod.

 _ **"HIIIIIIIIII~!"**_ Chloe cheerily waved.

Shaheen had to slap his head a few times, just to see if he would wake up. But it was useless... he was trapped here, on his knees. He had no choice but to see this through...

"...What the hell is this..." he asked, his voice cracking.

 _ **"This is the end of your road, Shaheen."**_ Faraj replied.

 _ **"This is it! The million dollar question, nya!"**_ Chloe chimed in.

"Why? Why now...?"

 _ **"Don't ask why, you idiot. You're not here to ask questions: you're here to make a choice. One...single... choice."**_ Faraj stated.

 _ **"It's simple, really. You have to choose: revenge... or me?"**_ Chloe added.

"...So you're forcing me to choose?"

 _ **"Duh! That's what I just said, nya!"**_ Chloe giggled.

"...Then I choose you." Shaheen quickly replied, pointing at her immediately.

 _ **"It's not that simple."**_ Faraj chimed in. _**"Shaheen... if you choose to forgive G Corporation, Faraj and his family will never find peace in the afterlife. And they'll hate you forever."**_

 _ **"And if you choose to take revenge, you'll break my heart and I'LL hate you forever, nya!"**_

"Then I won't take revenge!" Shaheen shouted. "I don't care anymore! I just... I want Chloe back."

 _ **"Really? You mean that? Oh I'm so happy! Thank you, Shaheen!"**_ Chloe exclaimed, leaping up and down and waving her arms.

 _ **"HOLD IT!"**_ Faraj boomed. _**"I'm not done yet. You think it's so easy, don't you?! You think you can just say the magic word and make all your troubles float away? Well I've got news for you, my brother... life isn't that clear-cut!"**_

"Tell me why." Shaheen commanded.

 _ **"Because... Chloe works for G Corporation, you idiot. And every time you look into her face, you'll be reminded of me... of my murder... at THEIR HANDS! As long as you choose to stay with Chloe, I will NEVER leave your head! These dark thoughts will still reside in you whether you believe it or not. One day, those vengeful thoughts will manifest; you'll flip out like you did a while ago and you'll do something terrible... maybe to the girl you love. The only way to get rid of the darkness in your heart is to finally succumb to it. Kill Chloe now... and then go complete your journey of revenge at G Corporation Headquarters. Take Kazuya Mishima's head, and finally you'll be at peace. And so will they..."**_

"I don't believe you..."

 _ **"I'm just telling you the truth, haha. Do you want to live the rest of your life a crazy person, hearing voices in your head telling you to kill? If you choose to be with Chloe, that's what your life is gonna be. Every moment you close your eyes... I'll be waiting for you. I'll be waiting, to remind you that you're in love with the one responsible for Faraj Al-Hassan's murder. And once again, I'll try to convince you to finally set me free..."**_

"Y...you'll... never go away...?"

 _ **"Nope. I'm going to haunt you forever... until you finally make the right choice. The only way I will ever be able to move on is when you come to your senses and wreak the vengeance you and Faraj deserve!"**_

"No... this can't be possible..."

 _ **"It can all go away, Shaheen! All you have to do... is break that brat's scrawny little neck..."**_

"I... I can't do that... I can't do that!"

 _ **"Then get used to living with me! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Shaheen's mind snapped; he banged his head against the ground, screaming in agony as he collapsed and started rolling around. He clawed at his face, as he tried to rip the voices from his mind.

"GET OUT! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

And then, just like that, Faraj went silent and was replaced by a familiar female voice.

 _ **"Shaheen, don't be such a drama queen nya."**_

Shaheen poked his head back up, agonizing tears streaming. "Ch...ch...Chloe...?"

 _ **"You don't have to give in to vengeance. And you can still be happy with me~"**_

"H...how?!"

 _ **"Just show some backbone, nya! If you truly believe that you'll always have thoughts of vengeance in your heart, then you'll just have to try that much harder to quell them! We can still be happy together!"**_

"B-but Faraj said... wh-what if I snap? What if I flip out and do something bad like I did to that soldier?"

 _ **"Hee hee... you're so gullible. Cmooon, do you really think you could hurt a cutie like me? You swore you would never hurt me~"**_

"B-but I..."

 _ **"YOU. SWORE."**_

"Chloe..."

 _ **"Cmon Shaheen, be a man! You're only crazy if you believe you're crazy!"**_

"...Then I'm crazy..." Shaheen whispered, his voice a pathetic gust of defeat.

 _ **"Oh... uhh... okay. Well then, do you remember what you said to me? On our special night together?"**_

"I..."

 _ **"You said I was the only thing keeping you sane. You're not a liar, are you nya?"**_

"Well-"

 _ **"ARE YOU?"**_

"...Of course not."

 _ **"Good! Then as long as we're together, everything will be okay nya! I promise!"**_

"Gh...guhh... how can you promise anything?! You're just a vision!" Shaheen spat.

 _ **"There's a reason why I look like Chloe, nya. Because I represent the way YOU see her. So a promise from me is basically as good as a promise from the real thing! Nya~!"**_

"...I don't understand."

 _ **"Then I'm sorry, nya. But I'm really tired of talking. Will you just choose already?! Vengeance or me? VENGEANCE OR ME?! NYA!"**_

"I... I choose..." Shaheen stammered. He closed his eyes and took a long gulp, followed by a deep breath. This was it: with one big exhale, he would unleash his final answer.

"I..choose..."

Shaheen eyes shot open. He looked around: he was laying on the ground, surrounded by concerned looking people with cell phones. They were probably dialing an ambulance to come and pick him up... no! He didn't have time for that!

"Chloe!'

Shaheen forced himself back to his feet and continued to run. He had to get back to Chloe, before it was too late!

Shoving aside all who stood in his way, Shaheen pressed his weary body onwards towards the only place he figured Chloe was headed: back to her suite, to pack her things. She was hurt as well; if he hurried, he could intercept her.

"Chloe! Chloe, wait! Chl...?"

...There she was. There, coughing, limping towards the hotel, was the girl that had turned Shaheen's life inside out in the span of four days. Even in spite of the pain, Shaheen could see a look on her face: a look of utter sadness. Of heartbreak... of betrayal... and Shaheen had done this to her. At the end of the day, Chloe hadn't done anything; her only crime was falling in love with him. As easy as it would be to point fingers and deny the truth, Shaheen knew HE had to be the one to fix things.

"CHLOE... stop." Shaheen commanded, raising his weak, wounded arm to beckon to her.

At first, Chloe didn't turn around; she was afraid of what she'd see if she looked in his face. But Chloe knew as well as Shaheen that this wasn't something she could run away from. They each shared this mutual understanding: this deep, yearning desire for closure. How would things end? WOULD they end? It was a terrifying mystery, one that they could move on with their lives never confronting... but was that life really worth living?

"Shaheen... why did you come for me?" Chloe asked, still not turning around. Her voice wasn't the least bit authoritative or stern. It was a meek... almost pained softness.

"Why do you think?" Shaheen blurted. "I came to fix things."

Chloe finally turned around... and Shaheen could see the anger in her face. The tears streamed as her fists clenched. This wasn't just the face of a heartbroken girl; it was the face of someone who had to make a choice that she hated. As they stood there, eyes locked, Shaheen had no idea that Chloe was going to do the most selfish thing in her life. The only hint was the tears that flowed more prominently by the second.

"Shaheen... I have to fight you now." she stated. Just like that, the meekness was gone from her voice: this voice was cold, unrelenting... unsympathetic.

"What?!"

Chloe didn't give him the luxury of an explanation as she charged forward and frontflipped, transitioning into a flying dropkick that soared extra fast from the momentum. Shaheen raised his hands and blocked it, but the force knocked him to the ground and sent even more pain through his already weak arms.

As Shaheen struggled to his feet, Chloe finally voiced her motives.

"I told you... G Corporation is all I have in this world. Without it, I have no life. I have nothing! Everything I have, is because they gave it to me! So if you're an enemy of G Corp, you're MY enemy too!"

Shaheen stumbled to his feet, but Chloe was waiting for him. She did a handstand, allowing her feet enough leverage to reach his head and kangaroo kick him in the face. Shaheen staggered backwards, but didn't go down.

Chloe ran towards him as she continued. "It's not the perfect life! You think I don't wake up every morning and regret the things I've done?! You think I don't regret the fact that my boss is an evil madman?! But you know what? I GET OVER IT! I weigh the good and the bad, and I realize that maybe it's worth it to actually be something in this world. It's not the perfect life... but it's the life I choose for myself."

Chloe lunged forward with a sweeping calf kick, but Shaheen raised his leg and checked it, causing Chloe to stumble and fall. This was his chance to open his mouth...

"Chloe, I don't care anymore! I don't care about Kazuya or G Corp or revenge! I just want y-"

"LIAR!" she screeched, immediately leaping to her feet and coming forward with wild swings. These strikes weren't the least bit controlled or disciplined... they were the angry swings of a woman scorned.

"Urg! Ahh! Dammit...Chloe...!" Shaheen hissed as he tried to parry and dodge the aggressive attacks.

"I saw what you did to that soldier back there! That proves that you DO still care!" Chloe wailed between punches. "You were thinking of doing that to me, weren't you?!"

"It was a moment of weakness!" Shaheen argued, still blocking punches. "I just lost myself! If you'll just give me a chance to redeem myself, I'll make it up to you! I'll make it up to you if it takes my whole life!"

"How can I trust you?!" Chloe quickly fired back. "You already broke my heart once! How do I know you won't do it AGAIN?!"

Shaheen felt the weight of those words almost immediately; he couldn't even raise his arms after hearing them. How WOULD she know? Shaheen was barely in control of himself... one day, he could snap and ruin everything. He couldn't even trust himself... so how could he ask Chloe to trust him.

Shaheen's guard was lowered and he took the full force of Chloe's right hook to his face. The blow knocked him to the ground, and Shaheen could immediately see nothing out of his left eye. The swelling happened so fast; his orbit bone must have been broken.

Chloe also paid the price for that hard hit, as intense pain immediately rushed to her hand. The pain was so bad she couldn't make a fist; it was definitely broken.

The battle temporarily stopped, as these two broken, battered lovers stared at each other and saw the accumulation of deep, dark feelings coming to light. These feelings had been kept locked away for too long. They had so much fun in Dubai, pretending like their lives were perfect as these emotions lay dormant, the truth willfully ignored. But no longer could it sleep; the sleeping giant had awoken, and the backdraft was twice as intense as a result.

This... was the price they paid for trying to escape from their real lives.

"How? How can we go on after this...?" Chloe sobbed. She fell on her back, and her tears streamed without restraint. She didn't even have the power to get back to her feet, much less continue the fight.

Shaheen collapsed to the ground right beside her. One eye was completely shut and bulging from the swelling, but the tears flowed from each eye equally. He too had no strength to continue the fight, nor did he want to. This was the next step for them, as they lay there in silence and shared a cry. They had to think things over, and allow their tears to wash out the negative feelings. If what they had was truly special... then there HAD to be a way to move on from this.

After an almost eternal silence... Chloe was the first to speak.

"...You scared me so bad back there." she muttered softly. "Please promise me I'll never have to see you do that again."

"I'm sorry... from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry." Shaheen replied. "You know I would never do anything in the world to hurt you. Chloe, I know you don't believe me right now... but you're the only thing that matters to me in this life."

"...Then why did you have to go and muck up everything?" Chloe said, sobbing a few times. "Everything was perfect! Why...why...why... why did it have to be G Corp that killed him? Why did it have to be me..."

"That blood's not on your hands, Chloe." Shaheen reassured. "Kazuya is to blame. But that no longer matters to me. Even if you had killed Faraj with your own two hands, I still would forgive you. I still... would feel the same way about you."

"You're lying..."

"I'm not lying! I just... I don't know how to prove myself to you. I just don't. But I swear... I SWEAR... I'll make it up to you somehow."

Chloe rolled over and pressed her forehead against Shaheen's cheek, reaching her hand over to gently caress his other cheek.

"Oh Shaheen... I'm sorry too. It's not right for me to act high and mighty. The truth is, I'm the one to blame. I work for a terrible person... all because he pays me to promote his company. I know he's evil, and I don't care. I'm a selfish monster... I'm just as bad as he is..."

"No. You're not. I know you're not evil like he is."

"How do you know?"

"...Because you were the voice of good that tried to keep me in check this whole time."

They shared another little moment of silence, as they each processed the words the other had said. They could feel themselves cooling down, muscles relaxing... and suddenly things started to seem not so bad. Like with most disputes, a little quiet and relaxation seemed to make all the difference.

Shaheen broke the silence with a load groan.

"Urrrrgh...I'm so tired, Chloe. I'm tired and aching..."

"M-me too..."

"I just wanna lay down... lay down and get patched up already..."

"...I think we can go back to my suite now."

"Ch-chloe...?"

"I don't know if things will be okay between us just yet... but I still love you. So I'm gonna try and make this work. Will you?"

"...Of course I will. I swear I will."

And then a miracle happened: Chloe actually smiled.

"Then let's go get you patched up, big guy~"

The physically and emotionally wounded partners dragged each other back to Chloe's suite, each using the other as the foundation to lean on. In some twisted way, trudging their wounded selves forward together was a truly bonding and reconciling moment for them. They were going to heal together... in every sense of the word.

 **EPILOGUE**

The events of the day concluded with them taking a symbolic hot shower. It was symbolic in that not only was their dirt and grime washed away: so too was the metaphorical dirt they each carried. The hot water served not only to alleviate the pain of their physical wounds... but also of their wounded hearts.

Afterwards, Chloe wore a fluffy white bathrobe and helped Shaheen get comfy on the bed. He was forced to wear only his boxers, so she could properly treat all his injuries. Embarrassed as he was... his mind soon focused on other things. Very unpleasant things.

"URRRRRGH!"

"Cmon, hold still! I can't hold you down on my own, nya!"

"JUST BE GENTLE!"

"Hee hee... I'll be as gentle as possible~"

The bullet holes were easy enough, since they had a clean exit wound. A few bandages fixed it right up. But the huge gash on his arm from the sniper required stitches... and Chloe wasn't a highly trained medic.

"Ungh! Agh! H-have you used a needle before...?" Shaheen hissed. "Your hands aren't steady!"

"Oh shut it. I have a broken hand, nya!"

After a long, torturous period of needle work and several bloody towels, Shaheen's wounds were finally dressed so they could start to close properly. Afterwards, he helped Chloe put on a knee brace and then rubbed some icy-hot muscle relaxant on her hurt ribs. Lastly, he wrapped up her broken hand tight until movement was impossible.

When everything was said and done... the two were finally allowed their first real moment of respite. Chloe eagerly collapsed on top of the freshly-treated Shaheen and nestled her head on his bare chest. He lifted a single arm and brought it around her, hugging her against him. And for a while, the two weary partners laid there in peace and reflected on everything. They reflected on the truths that had been unearthed, and how those truths affected each other. They thought about how they could move forward knowing what they know. And lastly... they silently measured the extent of their bond with the amount of damning baggage they carried inside them.

After a while of thinking, they decided to finally share their thoughts.

"...Chloe." Shaheen called softly.

"Hmm?" she muttered, her face still buried in his chest. She was too relaxed to even pick her head up.

"I've been thinking about what we talked about. And I've decided that we can still make things work. I'm not going to let my hatred of G Corporation get in the way of being with you. But... only if you forgive me. Please...forgive me..."

Chloe was silent, so Shaheen continued.

"...I know that whatever I say can't possibly make up for what you saw back there. I can't ever apologize enough. That... that's not who I am. I never kill with malicious intent. I just... I just lost it-"

"You don't have to justify it, Shaheen." Chloe finally responded. "I understand, okay? It just... it took a while to get over seeing it. I've always looked at you as a kind person, you know? I never thought you were capable of doing that..."

"...Chloe, I-"

"I don't care anymore, okay? We've both seen some shit in our line of work, I'm sure. None of that matters anymore. I don't care why you did that, or what you were thinking at the time. If you tell me you didn't mean it, then you didn't mean it."

"I...thank you, Chloe. That makes me feel better. " Shaheen responded, with a quiet exhale of relief following afterward.

"...Now it's my turn to request something." Chloe suddenly declared.

"Um... y-yes, of course. Anything."

"...I need to know that you don't blame me for Faraj's death. I swear I didn't do it. I-I'm not an assassin or anything. I... Kazuya just values my fighting skills and he sends me on hard jobs and-"

"I don't blame you. It was wrong of me to ever point fingers at you." Shaheen interrupted, his arms tightening it's embrace. "If you can overlook what I did, then I can overlook who you work for."

Chloe finally lifted her head up and looked into Shaheen's one functioning eye. A meek little smile spread on her lips.

"We're just a relationship of compromise, aren't we? Hee hee..."

Shaheen smiled softly in response. "Most relationships are. And ours will work... because despite all the dark, nasty things we carry, there's always one thing that's pure. How we feel about each other never changes. It's the one constant that shines above everything else: the one pure thing in our murky lives. As long as we both never forget that, we can be happy."

"Oh Shaheen! I love you...!"

Chloe succumbed to the passion and started an onslaught on Shaheen's lips, attacking them constantly with a barrage of pecks.

"Mmmph! Mmmph! I'm *mmph* sorry *mmph* things *mmph* ever got this *mmph* complicated..."

"Mm, mmmph- it's okay Chloe, mmph..." Shaheen responded between kisses. "I'm sorry too *mmph* I never meant to *mmph* hurt you..."

"Just shut up." Chloe blurted. "I don't care anymore! I just want you..."

Chloe's lips went down his neck, then lower until she was kissing down his pecs. Her hands trailed down his abdomen, one hand resting on his abs and one venturing down his thigh.

"Ch-Chloe, take it easy! I-I've only got one arm..." Shaheen grunted.

"One's all you need~" Chloe cooed before continuing her assault on his torso.

Once upon a time, a kindhearted soldier ventured into Dubai on a less than kind quest that would change him into someone different upon completion. But his quest came to an abrupt halt when he had a chance encounter with the girl who would steal his heart over the course of four days. Unfortunately, their little love story wasn't like romance novels and fairy tales. Each of them had their own personal demons... and those demons eventually manifested. But in the end, their love proved to be strong enough to form a compromise that would allow them to walk hand-in-hand towards the future: a future where they could be together in happiness regardless of circumstances.

After everything went down in Dubai, Chloe returned home to Japan and Shaheen returned to his work in Saudi Arabia. But their separation was only temporary, as Shaheen had given Chloe the contact info of the private military company he works for. Now it was up to her to make things work on her end...

Luckily, Chloe was able to do just that. When she made it home to Japan, she informed G Corporation of how her security detail betrayed her during her world tour. From now on, she demanded to be able to choose her OWN security detail. After consulting it with the head honcho himself, Kazuya accepted her new terms.

Eventually, Lucky Chloe went back on tour across countries, to sing and dance and promote G Corporation wherever she went. But at her side was her own personal hired bodyguard... the man she had fallen in love with. With G Corp's wallet, Shaheen and Chloe traveled the world together, having the time of their lives as the two slowly buried their unpleasant memories and rekindled their love until it burned brighter and hotter than the sun over Dubai.

To the rest of the world, Shaheen and Chloe were on business. Only the two of them knew the truth... and it would stay that way as long as the love shined bright in both of them.

 **THE END**


End file.
